Futsal teams looking for sponsors

The 2008 NMIFA Women’s Futsal Fall League will kick off this Saturday at the Northern Marianas College Gymnasium with six teams vying for the championship.

All six squads will play on the opening day with Teams 1 and 2 colliding in the first match at 8:30am, Teams 3 and 4 battling in the second game at 9:30am, and Teams 5 and 6 dueling at 10:30am.

The rest of the schedule will be released later but the league is expected to conclude its inaugural season in the first week of December. The league will have a round-robin format in the regular season, while the format in the playoffs has yet to be decided.

The six teams, which have 10 members each, had already chosen their team captains with Jamie Beavis leading Team 1. Team 2’s team captain is Krista Hawley, Elizabeth Henke for Team 3, Laura Williams for Team 4, Janel Villegas for Team 5, and Natalie Hill for Team 6.

But league organizers said only three teams have sponsors and the rest are still looking for generous individuals/companies that will help pay for their uniforms.

The league has two regular sponsors in Wild Bill’s and the Law Offices of Matt Smith. The third one—Marine Tech International—is sponsoring a soccer team for the first time.

Williams, a member of the NMIFA Women’s Committee, said the league is very grateful to Wild Bill’s and the Law Offices of Matt Smith for their continued support to the sport, particularly to female players, and to Marine Tech for finding time and money to join the bandwagon.

She added support from interested individuals/companies for the three other teams without sponsors will be a big help to ensure the success of the inaugural league.

The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be holding a futsal league for the first time since sending a team to a futsal tournament in Guam last year.

Futsal is an indoor football game with teams having five players each on the court. It demands quick reflexes, fast thinking, and accurate ball control. Games are played in a basketball-style court, with no walls and a low-bouncing ball, requiring players to use their skill rather than the ball’s bounce to propel it.

With female players on the island still new to the sport, NMIFA held a two-part boot camp on the Navy Hill Field last month and early this month.

The two weekend boot camp drew more than 40 participants with most of them playing in regular football tournaments.

“We want to say a big thank you to all the ladies who attended the boot camp to join the league and those who stepped up to lead their teams as captains,” Williams said.

“The NMIFA women’s league is open to all women age 15 years old and up and it is a great sport to build confidence and camaraderie among female players. The woman’s soccer league is an excellent way to meet new people, get in shape, and have fun,” she added.