A fast-paced type of mini-soccer will soon be played in Auburn with the opening of two new futsal courts on Chestnut Street.
Crews worked this week to transform an area known locally as “the gulley” into two courts for the 5-on-5 game, said Jeremy Gatcomb, Auburn’s recreation superintendent and general manager of the Ingersoll Turf Facility.
It’s taken more than two years to get the project across the finish line, in part due to delays because of COVID-19, he said. But the courts at the park, which also has basketball courts, should soon be ready for action.
“We realized there was a need for the expansion of soccer in Auburn,” he said.
Gatcomb said futsal uses a smaller, heavier ball and emphasizes foot work. With a much smaller playing surface than traditional soccer, the court also has walls that can be used as part of the game, like hockey, he said.
“It’s much quicker and lower to the ground,” Gatcomb said.
The city received grants, donations, and used some capital improvement funds to pay for the project.
In Auburn, the city decided to install two courts side by side so more people can get in on a game. Lights will be installed as well to maximize the time the courts can be used. Gatcomb said he hopes children are able to use the courts afterschool, with adults getting in some playing time later into the evening.
Part of the effort is to ensure that immigrants to the area can take advantage of the recreational opportunities the city has to offer, he said.
“That part of town you have a lot of new Mainers settling in there,” he said.
Futsal started in Uruguay in 1930 when a teacher wanted to create an indoor version of soccer using basketball courts, according to U.S. Futsal. Also called Five-A-Side or Mini-soccer, it spread to other South American countries before U.S. Futsal was founded in the United States in 1981.
In August, Portland opened its first futsal court in the city’s East Bayside neighborhood, according to the Press Herald.
