By West Hawaii Today staff
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What is futsal, you may ask?

Futsal is a modified version of soccer played on a hard court about the size of a basketball court. There are only five players per side, and a smaller and heavier ball is utilized. The unique game originated in 1930 in Uruguay, and became popular in Brazil about a decade later. Compared to soccer, futsal players can enhance their footwork skills, get more touches on the ball and play a faster-paced game which is exciting for the spectators.

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Living here on an island, there are very limited resources and opportunities for keiki to participate in these types of games, unless they travel off island. The vision was to bring them a high-level, excellent event to inspire the younger generation to see what’s out there — which is why the Hawaii International Futsal Cup was created. Sports can be healthy in so many ways, and they also teach those crucial life lessons that are necessary to grow. The first futsal tournament that was put on by the WeGo! Foundation run by Rebekah Lussiaa, was in 2021 in the YWAM Ohana court in Kona and the courts at the Kailua Playground off of Kuakini Highway. Up until now, Hawaii Futsal has been running an annual futsal league and a few other tournaments have been enjoyed both on the west and east side of the island. At this tournament in 2021, there were about 30 teams competing at that time, but the passion and interest in the sport among the keiki were there.

The following year, the event grew and became international. This was made possible through the incredible partnership with the county, spearheaded by Lindsey Io, Rico Ferrari from Hawaii Futsal and Rod Tomei from the HM-A Better Ways Tours — which is a Japanese connection to the tournament.

With this international collaboration with the Japanese, organizers are working towards enhancing the cultural exchange for Hawaii and Japan, and continue to build those relationships. In the first year of the collaboration, the event was held in Waimea at the Spencer Kalani Schutte District Park. In 2024, the event was moved to Hilo due to the need of larger facilities, and the tournament jumped to 42 teams with 13 new clubs.

This year, the event has 62 teams and seven new clubs representing various Hawaiian Islands, along with teams coming from California, Oregan and Japan. The age groups are U10, U12, U14, U16 and open adults. Having the keiki watch some of these semi-pro adults from Japan compete at such a high level will definitely widen their ambitions and dreams. Game matches will be held at the Edith Kanaka’ole Stadium, Pana’ewa Gym and the Afook-Chinin Civic Auditorium.

The exciting finals matches will be held Sunday at the Kanaka’ole Stadium until around 3 p.m.

Events of this caliber would not be possible without the generosity and hard work of many people. Organizers want to mahalo WeGo! Foundation, Hawaii Futsal, Deluz Chevrolet and Dalponte as the main sponsors.

“Many hands make light work” is shown by the smiles on the keiki’s faces when they get to show up and participate in something unique like this here on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Don’t miss out and come to support and enjoy the talent and cultural exchange from Aug 15-17.

The opening Aloha Ceremony is a must-see, and will be held at noon at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium in Hilo. Enjoy the pule and entertainment, as well as the parade of teams getting introduced as they proudly carry and march behind their club banners.