Date:26/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/26/stories/2008072659722200.htm

Sport - Football

BSA Soccer Fives

Chennai: The first leg of the BSA Soccer Fives tour is all set to begin at the YMCA grounds, Nandanam, on Saturday. This was announced at a press conference on Thursday by Vikram Menon, founder of Phenomenon Sports, which is conducting the event.

The tour consists of three weekend knock-out tournaments, one each in the months of July, August and September.

Grand Finals

The top eight teams, based on points accumulated in the three knock-out legs, will clash in the Grand Finals in October, which will be a two-group league-cum-knock-out event. A team has to take part in at least two legs to qualify for the Grand Finals. Two separate tournaments — in Open and U-16 categories — will be conducted.

The rules of the fives tour are similar to futsal, except that a normal-size football, not the smaller futsal ball, will be used. Each match will consist of two halves of 13 minutes each, and there are no off-sides. Kick-ins replace traditional throw-ins. — Principal Correspondent