FIFA lands in Ecuador to conduct the Beach Soccer potential in the country

People in Ecuador love Beach Soccer. It is a very common sight to see fishermen playing on the beach right after they have handed the fish they have recollected after hours and hours of hard labour. That is their moment. With boats pulled on to the sand, and fish in its way to the markets and restaurants, it is the time for beach soccer. And this scenery recurs all over the Ecuadorian shore. The sport has taken strong roots among the Ecuadorian population and many organized competitions take place all through the year in the most important coastal cities, and thousands and thousands of people practice it in its Pacific beaches.

Precisely to conduct this potential and give it the basis to grow strong, FIFA reached this American Country to implement a solid structure. It was the Ecuadorian Football Federation, indeed, who requested the International football organism, fully aware of their capacity and the capacity of their inhabitants to boost their performance in this sport after a proper “education”. Just as the Ecuadorian Football Federation’s general secretary, Francisco Acosta, stated: “We have been aware that many people play soccer on our beautiful beaches, all over the country, and that it was time to bring this under the federations’ jurisdiction and in turn under the FIFA umbrella. This is a great opportunity for many young players living in the coastal regions of Ecuador”. Acosta also spoke about the Ecuadorian possibilities at an international scale, remembering that “last year we missed out through a late goal to make it to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, imagine what we will be able to do and how far we can go once we have organized beach soccer in the country.”

Under these bases, FIFA organized an instruction course in Guayaquil from the 16^th to the 20^th of August. Two FIFA instructors, Bolivar Montero from Costa Rica and Hector Petrasso from Argentina, arrived in the Ecuadorian city keen to exchange experiences and conduct this first ever FIFA Beach Soccer course in the country. The course dealt with all crucial issues to help participants to understand the history, rules, technical aspects, goalkeeping, tactics, systems, free kick situations and event organization. This last one is precisely one of the goals pointed in mid-term agenda: the organization of a Beach Soccer Tournament under the FIFA regulations.