FESTIVE Five is the first official futsal tournament to take place at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena on weekends and it is attracting a lot of attention.
There are 11 teams divided into two groups between locals and Venezuelans who raise the level of the competition.
Festive Five is organised by FC Maloney Eagles: Shurland David, Kwesi Peterson, Ricarda Nelson, Andre Leid and Nigel Alexis. The tournament is supported by the TT Football Association.
[caption id="attachment_1007033" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shurland David, Nigel Alexis, Ricarda Nelson and Kwesi Peterson of FC Maloney Eagles are the organisers of the Festive Five futsal. - Photo by Grevic Alvarado[/caption]
“The integration between the Venezuelan and TT teams is something great. The idea of including both countries in a single tournament is a great opportunity to highlight Futsal and with the experience the Venezuelan teams bring. I also see this as a learning experience for most TT players and fans,” Peterson told Newsday.
The tournament started two weekends ago and is played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7pm.
After four rounds played, Jesus Youths lead group A with 12 points from four wins without loss.
On Sunday, they beat Wickham United and Venesport with the same score 8-3.
El Chapo are second in the group with nine points. On Sunday, they defeated Galacticos 5-3 and have secured their place in the next phase.
Real Sport (6), Wickham United (3), Galacticos (3) and Venesport (3) will fight for the other two tickets to the quarterfinals.
[caption id="attachment_1007034" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Venezuelan team Real Sport is second in group A after beating Wickham United 7-3 last Saturday. - Photo by Grevic Alvarado[/caption]
In group B, Fenix Futsal lead the table with nine points in three presentations.
On Saturday, they defeated Ten Stars 4-1 and already have their passport to the next stage of the competition.
Sulmona (6), Ten Stars (4), Team Ricochae (4) and Sons of Omega (0) will battle for three spots in the quarterfinals.
Peterson said the tournament will span six weeks. The top four teams from each zone will advance to the quarterfinals.
“We are seeing very good games. The level is high and many people are coming to the Maloney Complex to enjoy futsal. This is good for the sport and the community,” Peterson said.
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