Football: New fully-fledged futsal complex opens in Mattakkuliya

With the sole intention of adding boost and brining more interest on football, considered as the poor man’s sport in Sri Lanka, a group of men made the initiative by unveiling the country’s first-ever fully-fledged futsal complex.   Situated in Mattakkuliya, within the city limits of Colombo, the ‘X Sports Arena’ the investors of the project, Imran Farook, Naushad Nuhuman and Muhajeed Jeeran, at the launching ceremony held last week were hopeful that their initiative is to make futsal a professional sport in Sri Lanka.   “Our main idea and objective goal is to promote futsal among schools. We are willing to provide this facility of artificial turf ground free-of-charge to the schools willing to take part in futsal. It’s not all about promoting futsal itself, but at the same time our hope is to generate interest and professionalism into football as well. This is an interesting version of football that could easily be played any time of the year, as recreation, pleasure or competitively. So what we are looking at is taking the first move in making futsal the next best thing that happened in Sri Lanka sports next to cricket,” elaborated Imran Farook, the Director of X Sports Arena, the live wire of the project.   Until June 5, 2015, futsal was played on open fields with grass surface but according to Farook, this will be the first of many of such complexes that are lined up in other areas of the country.   At a press conference held at the X Sports Arena, he said that they are planning on collaborating with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), the governing body for football in Sri Lanka, to promote futsal and make it professional in the near future.   “It may look or sound very simple on surface but behind the backdrop there was heavy planning, looking into the future of the country’s sports. We looked at every aspect with the ultimate intention of producing the best national team in futsal, because we feel that Sri Lanka has the potential in competing at top level in this sport. At the same time this may became a provider to the national football squad as well, because many international players have played futsal first, before turning top professionals in football. With all that in mind we thought of coming out with the best facility so all can make use of it and grow together. The carpet or the turf laid on the ground was imported from China and is one of the six best carpets used at international futsal grounds,'' said Naushad Nuhuman, the Sports Director of X Sports Arena.   Many top international footballers, namely Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina fame, Christiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid and Portugal superstar striker, the ever favourite Ronaldinho who represented Barcelona and Brazil and Oscar who turns out for Chelsea and Brazil have had their humble beginning in football through futsal.   Messi, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have stated that if not for futsal the world would not see the players they are today, reminded Muheed Jeeran, the Public Affairs Officer of X Sports Arena.   “Apart from the individuals and futsal clubs we are looking forward to have memberships from the corporate sector, which is an important cog in the wheels of our effort. It’s by that way that we can nurture the schools and potential national players as commercial support is important for a project like the X Sports Arena. Anura de Silva, the newly elected President of FFSL too has given his consent to this project and has promised to uplift the game of fulsal. It is heartening to get a pat on the back from them when there were official of FFSL, who is sidelined at present and had held the post of the President of World Futsal Association, did nothing to promote or even to build a futsal complex in Sri Lanka,” Jeeran stated.   An estimated cost of Rupees 15Million has been spent on the X Sports Arena which will also have facilities of a well equipped gymnasium with qualified instructors and trainers in time to come.   The Arena is now open for membership for individuals, clubs and the corporate sector.   The Arena was ceremonially opened with an exhibition futsal match between Lyceum International School Wattala and Gateway International School Colombo.