Mount Gambier is set to host the Football SA Country Futsal Championships later this year, in a huge coup for the local soccer community.


The championships will be held at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre during the July school holidays, on July 13-14.


A player clinic run by FSA Player Development Lead Christiano Dos Santos and a referee course will be held in conjunction with the competition.


The championships will feature boys and girls competitions, with age groups ranging from 10 to 17 years of age, with players younger than 10 being welcomed to participate.


Teams will comprise eight to 10 players with games being played as five a side.


Depending on the age group most games will be played as 15 minute halves.


During the competition each team will play a minimum of four games on the day.


So far 10 teams from Mount Gambier have registered to play in the championships.


Football SA Limestone Coast Regional Development Officer Christian Fleetwood said the championships would provide a huge boost for the local soccer community, as well as increasing the profile of Futsal in the region.


“Half the year we realistically do not want to be using our pitches, one reason is because we do not have enough of them and two because of the rain and the climate we have,” he said.


“With Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre home to state-of-the-art courts, it makes Futsal a great sport to be played during the wetter months of the year.”


Fleetwood has been working with many junior Futsal teams over the past few months and said Mount Gambier had already experienced success with three teams competing at the state championships, where two teams finished second in their divisions and another third.


Fleetwood said he hoped to have teams represent state country in the future in a sport which he believes is “a great alternative pathway to outdoor football”.


“Futsal gives kids in the region the opportunity to play football all year round, with the local Futsal league designed to begin when the Barry Maney Premier League finishes,” he said.


“This reduces the gap in opportunities between regional and metropolitan kids who have more opportunities to play many more games all year round than regional kids.”


Fleetwood said he had found the emergence of official Futsal competitions in the


Limestone Coast had also brought new people to the sport, with lots of people making teams with their friends in the local competition.