Beach Soccer Festival organised by APF & FIFA Forward
More than 200 boys and girls took part, with another festival planned
The festivals are all about helping the love for beach soccer grow in Paraguay
Los Pynandi Stadium, which has provided the stage for matches during the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019, was the venue for quite a different event on Wednesday, as more than 200 young boys and girls between 4 and 13 years of age took part in a Beach Soccer Festival organised by the Paraguayan Football Association, with the support of the FIFA Forward Development Programme.
The gathering was overseen by FIFA instructor Marcelo Mendez, who was ably assisted by coaches participating in the Paraguay 2019 Legacy Programme, which runs parallel to the tournament.
“The festival forms part of what we want to leave behind in Paraguay: that boys and girls are familiar with beach soccer, that they start playing it, and that they view it as another sporting activity they can take up,” Mendez told FIFA.com.
Grassroots Festival at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019
FIFA Beach Soccer and Futsal Development Manager Brent Rahim pointed out that “this was the first of two festivals that we’ve organised for this age group during the World Cup.”
He added: "It’s an ideal age to lay the foundations in terms of player development, going over some of the essential skills they will need to play elite-level beach soccer in the future, such as scissor kicks and volleys.”
