16 teams for the Festive Five Futsal crown

On Friday, the second edition of the Festive Five Futsal will begin at the Maloney Indoor Sport Arena.

Kwesi Peterson, president of the non-profit organisation Vibes Aura Love and Energy Lifestyle and main organiser of the tournament along with Keron Modeste, said the opening will start at 6pm and will include cultural events.

“This is an eight-weekend futsal tournament. We seek to promote social integration and the hidden gem- futsal.”

For this edition, 16 teams will participate, of which eight are local and eight are Venezuelan.

The teams will be divided into two groups of eight.

In group A are El Chapo, Galacticos, D'original, Guerreros, Los Panas, Titanes, Undisputed and Wolf Pack. Group B is made up of Jesus Youths, Ten Stars, Sulmona, Atletic FC, Delta Sport, Delta Tachira, Milat and TTPS.

Peterson said, “The first edition of the Festive Five attracted part of the Hispanic diaspora both on and off the field of play. They left a great impression on the hearts and minds of sponsors and local players with their warm, energetic and contagious spirit.”

Peterson said the organisation seeks to implement measures and strategies to improve the quality of the local players and the organisation itself. To achieve this, several Venezuelan futsal professionals have been incorporated into the organisational structure.

“Futsal is most popular in South America and Spanish-speaking countries, and our organisation would like to be an auxiliary to the existing associations govern this sport. We are fostering a collaborative movement to boost the sport here in TT by organising more tournaments and eventually a league for various age groups and genders.”

Peterson said several local personalities will be at this Friday's opening ceremony.

There will also be a parade of the participating teams and a musical presentation by Herencia Venezolana.

After the opening events, three exhibition games will be played. The championship matches will officially begin on Saturday afternoon.

Peterson said, “We extend the invitation to the general public. It will be a great high-level tournament and a great organisation.”