Lakewood Futsal Courts Open July 31

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Madison Park Futsal Courts will open to the public on July 31. The site of the city's former tennis courts has been transformed into a home for the faster-paced soccer variant. Futsal is played on a small court, using a small soccer ball, and smaller-than-soccer goals.

“Futsal is an art. It is fun to watch young players being creative and expressing through futsal”, says Andrew Toth, Lakewood High School men’s soccer head coach. “Futsal is special – it brings kids of different backgrounds together in a sport they know and love.”

The city said it wanted to expand access to high-quality recreational facilities. One of the city's assigned goals in the 2015 recommendations report was to draw more people into active use of city-based recreation facilities.

"We feel strongly the creative repurposing of this space meets this mission. Futsal is widely played and enjoyed by all ages, which is a big reason we wanted to introduce it to Lakewood," said Michelle Nochta, city planner in a statement.

Still curious about how to play futsal? The city is holding a free futsal program on July 30, a day before the courts open to the public. The program is available to kids ages 9 and up and will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

After the program, the Lakewood High School soccer players will take part in an exhibition match. People interested in taking part in the match should arrive at Madison Park Pavilion at 2 p.m. to register and sign a wavier.

The preview of futsal is presented by the Lakewood High School Men's Soccer program.

Starting the next day, July 31, the courts will be open to the public for pick-up games, league play, and open shoot arounds. The rules for futsal can be found on FIFA's website. There is also a breakdown of the rules and benefits of futsal in the video below.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch