Plymouth Marjon FC Futsal Festival
Second-year students studying BA Football Coaching and Development at Plymouth Marjon University are running a futsal festival over the weekend of the 28 and 29 January. The event has two purposes, first to provide teams with a Futsal playing opportunity, and second as a fundraiser for Plymouth Marjon Football Club (PMFC).
UEFA states that “Futsal is the FIFA-recognised form of small-sided indoor football. It is played between two teams who each have 5 players on the pitch at any one time, with rolling substitutes and a smaller ball than a football that is harder and less bouncy. The small amount of space means players must have great technique and skill, and as well as a professional sport in its own right with national and international championships, it is also considered a development tool for 11-a-side football.”
Students have worked with Dr Phil Brown and other PMFC Executive Committee members at the club to make this become a reality. The students believe that this is an exciting opportunity to play sport, particularly since recent weekends have seen football fixtures rained off, and it provides a springboard for teams to get involved in future futsal events.
Teams from across the city have also been invited to participate by Marjon age-group managers, with the Under eights, Under nines, Under 10s, and Under 11s taking place on Saturday and Under 12s, Under 13s, and Under 14’s on Sunday. The event aims to provide healthy competition alongside some time for players to socialise when not playing. There is a planned cake sale for players and parents to give donations to help raise additional funds.
Dr Phil Brown, Senior Lecturer in Sport Development at Plymouth Marjon University and Club Welfare Officer and Executive Member at PMFC, said:
“This is a fantastic collaborative partnership between the students and the community club. The benefits are that students can develop applied learning and knowledge exchange, through the collaborative planning, delivery, and evaluation of this highly valuable futsal initiative. Plymouth Marjon FC and other local clubs and players can enjoy a new winter Futsal festival. We hope this becomes an annual event”.
Robbie Bagg, BA Football Coaching and Development student at Marjon, added “I can’t wait to get the show on the road, the build-up to this event has been really exciting. As a group, we’ve had to work on social media, team registrations, and scheduling, among other things (including this press release!). Having a clear main objective from the beginning and knowing what we wanted to get out of this event really helped us to push toward the final goal. It’s been a great experience so far and I hope the event lives up to our expectations”
Kyle Dowling, BA Football Coaching and Development student at Marjon, said “It’s been good to get a real grasp of what it’s like in event planning in the real world. It’s been challenging; however, it will be a fun and inclusive few days of futsal for the players and we are really looking forward to putting on a good event and hopefully doing more in the future”
Dom Paine, BA football Coaching and Development student at Marjon, commented, “Being in charge of team registration has definitely provided me with some useful skills for the future. Setting up this event has been really challenging however, we’ve had great support from the managers to help with a quick response for registering their teams. I can’t wait to get started on the day and see all the players competing in the tournament”
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Post authored by:
Robbie bagg
BA Football Coaching & Development student
Plymouth Marjon University
