The popularity of women’s futsal has led to a boom in women’s futsal competitions. Players are developing strong friendships through the team sport.
The Gatorade Women’s 5v5 Championship 2024 was held at the HM Futsal Park in Siheung, South Korea, on March 19. The tournament, which is a best-of-three championship between the top teams from each regional qualifier, was organized by sports marketing company HNS and 토토사이트 partnered with Gatorade.
The Gatorade Women’s 5v5 is Korea’s premier amateur futsal tournament and is open to all women aged 20 to 39 or 40 years old who have never registered as a player with the Korea Football Association. This year, more than 200 teams competed in nine regions, including Siheung, Seoul, Busan, Suwon, Jeonju, Pyeongtaek, Incheon, Cheonan, and Ilsan. “We hosted two more regional qualifiers than last year, and all but one or two of the regional qualifiers have been filled,” said a tournament official, commenting on the growing popularity of the event.
The overall quality of the players on the day was excellent. Some of the teams were so organized and skilled that it was hard to believe they were amateurs, and even the teams that finished last in their groups and didn’t make it to the knockout rounds were what you might call second-rate. The players I spoke to at Futbolist said that what started as a hobby has turned into a serious endeavor.
It wasn’t just their skills that improved. The players said that the friendships they made with good people are the reason they play futsal. Park Ra-jin of vivim WFC, who participated in the tournament, said, “It’s nice to be with so many good people. The number of people has increased, and now there are about 40 to 50 people playing,” said Park.
Maggie from soapBENEWFC, who has been living in Korea since 2019, said, “Playing futsal in Busan has helped me make a lot of friends and become mentally stronger,” adding that the sport has helped her both personally and socially.
Mothers and daughters are playing futsal together. Jeon Jong-sook and Lee Yoo-woo of Chaoreum FC, who participated in the Siheung qualifiers, have been playing futsal together since October last year. “The most rewarding thing is spending time with my mom twice a week,” said Lee Woo-ju, her daughter. We don’t spend much time together because we don’t live in the same house, but we play soccer, have dinner together, and have fun together,” said Lee.
“I work out with my mom in the soccer team,” said Park Ra-jin of Bibeam WFC. My mom is the head coach. The best thing is that I can be with my family.” ”Futsal means a lot to me. My dad also follows me every day,” she laughs.
As women’s futsal penetrates deeper into everyday life, there is a wide variety of organizations that are emerging. One thing is for sure, the Gatorade Women’s 5v5 has shown that the sport can also strengthen universal human connections like friendship and family.