Fourth Futsal State Cup Kicks Off This Weekend

This Saturday through Monday, NorCal Premier Soccer will host the fourth edition of the Futsal State Cup, a President’s Weekend tournament that will see more than 200 teams from the U9-U15 age groups compete at Cal Expo Fairgrounds.

Over the course of three days, played on 13 different courts at the facility, 23 different titles will be up for grabs, with all finals being decided on Championship Monday.

“As we continue expanding our futsal programming, we expect the fourth Futsal State Cup to be the best yet, with a record number of games to be played and participation numbers that near our capacity,” said NorCal Premier Futsal State Cup Coordinator Kelcey Chaidez. “This will be a fun weekend of futsal that will greatly help the development of all players involved.”

For years, several of the top soccer nations in the world have included futsal, a fast-paced, five-on-five version of sport, in their youth development programming.

Played on a surface roughly the same size as a basketball court, using a smaller, heavier ball, futsal introduces the conditions required for players to develop their technical and one-on-one skills.

Some of the world’s best-ever players, including Lionel Messi and Xavi have credited futsal for helping them develop their ability to control the ball in tight spaces and find quick solutions when under pressure.

For the past five years, NorCal has begun implementing more futsal into our programming, giving kids more opportunities to improve over the winter months when outdoor fields aren’t always available due to scheduling conflicts and harsh weather.

This year, more than 500 teams participated across four playdates hosted by four different clubs in the run up to the Futsal State Cup.

“Futsal is played all across the world and we’re hoping to establish it as something everyone participates in in Northern California,” Chaidez said. “It’s an accessible sport that has direct applications to the outdoor game.”

For more information about the Futsal State Cup, click here.