I attended my first live Futsal event and was prepared to count the day as a waste, because I really didn’t know what to expect. I know what football is, but what in God’s name is futsal? Well, not only was the day not a waste, I enjoyed myself. A lot.
You see, Risevest sponsored a futsal tournament called the Rise Super Ball. The finals consisted of eight teams that were supposed to play quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. This plan was disrupted when Sporting Lagos Football Academy failed to show up, forcing the organizers to award the opponents a win. The finals were played on the 19th of December, with volleyball and basketball finals being played on the 18th.
The National Institute of Sports gymnasium complex at the National Stadium in Surulere was filled with the team buses of several football academies, all ready to give this Super Ball their best shot, aiming for gold.
What Even is Futsal? You Mean Football?
Futsal is a scaled down version of football, with a few key characteristics:
- It’s five-a-side (one goalkeeper and four outfielders)
- It’s played on a court (indoors)
- It has two referees
- The court is smaller than a standard football field.
Of course, 15 seconds into the game, I instantly realized why football was not meant to be played on a court. The physics of the ball just works differently on a smooth surface. Bad different. The players often overhit passes, but not intentionally. Obviously, this affected every other aspect of the game, as passes are the highest volume event in any match.
The quality of football was great actually, considering it was coming from 12- 19 year olds on average. It showed they had been professionally-trained. Their technique, professionalism and composure were commendable. Football is a young man’s game, and these Futsal finals showed that.
A rule I didn’t mention above, intentionally, is that Futsal games are supposed to be 20 minutes per half, but the organizers realized that this might be too much for teenagers who are still building up their stamina. As a result, the matches were 20 minutes per game. Unfortunately, the halves weren’t evenly split, and I’m still baffled as to why that was.
Two Referees?!
If I ever stop taking Futsal seriously as a sport, it’d be because there are two referees, who are also both linesmen, and who both make officiating calls depending on what side of the pitch events happen on. This may just have been Risevest putting her own spin on things, though. However, because football was not meant to be officiated by different people, this system of officiating was sometimes messy. Many times both referees made conflicting calls and it drove me crazy. I managed though.
Another thing that made the games very frustrating, is how often the ball was out of play. I mentioned earlier that this game was not intended to be played in a small area, not with the ball they were using. Almost every long ball, attempted pass and goal kick went out of play, breaking up the game’s rhythm too much.
Tournament Winners: 36 Lions Football Academy.
Beyond Limits Football Academy secured third place, winning on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation time in the 3rd place playoff. Ikorodu City Academy had an inspirational run to the final, but unfortunately lost to a much better team. Ikorodu City, donning a bright yellow shirt, showed some resilience in their semifinal match, winning narrowly.
36 Lions Football Academy wore green shirts, and were very clearly the cream of the crop. They played and moved like they were better than everyone else, because…they were. They won all their games, even winning the final 3-0. I doubt any of the teams would have complaints about 36 Lions winning the whole thing.
What This Stands For
Risevest took community engagement to the next level. Sponsoring a tournament and providing free tickets for fans were a master stroke. This ensures that Risevest is not just remembered by its users as a mere savings app, but as a movement, one that puts youths at the centre.
This tournament was organised for youths, even though many of them cannot use savings apps yet, but when they grow up, they’d think of very few alternatives to Risevest, which is just one of the pleasant consequences of taking on this massive project.
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