The Village School of Naples will host its first-ever indoor “futsal” soccer tournament in partnership with Naples’ first professional soccer team, USL Naples, on Saturday, May 18. Six teams will participate in the upper and middle school gyms at 6000 Goodlette-Frank Rd.
Futsal is a football-based game played indoors on a hard court smaller than a traditional soccer field. Each team has five players, including one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted, and the ball is smaller, harder and lower bouncing than association football. The game emphasizes control, improvisation, creativity and technique.
“This first-ever indoor tournament was the brainchild of our head soccer coach, Piotr Nowak, who is building our program after an extensive professional career as a player and manager,” said Dennis Chapman, Head of School of The Village School of Naples. “We look forward to welcoming soccer fans and their families for what promises to be an exciting day of competition.”
The tournament is being sponsored by USL Naples, which will kick off its inaugural season in March 2025 at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples.
“As a member of the local community, USL Naples is committed to building relationships with organizations such as The Village School where we can support our next generation of leaders through the game of soccer,” said Roberto Moreno, CEO of USL Naples. “As we embarked on the journey to establish USL Naples, it was never uniquely about injecting excitement through professional sports into our community. Rather, it represented a broader commitment to fostering community cohesion and offering invaluable opportunities, especially with our youth.”
The Futsal Tournament will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is open to the public and is free of charge. For additional information, please send an email to [email protected].
Located at 6000 Goodlette-Frank Rd., The Village School of Naples began as The Caring Place Preschool in 1985 as an outreach at North Naples United Methodist Church. In 2000, the church relocated to the present campus and added The Village School, beginning with K-2 and 37 students. In 2006, the school was accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Florida Kindergarten Council.
The school’s Board of Directors voted to add an upper school with 17 students in the fall of 2017. In June 2020, The Village School celebrated its first-ever graduating class of seniors. The school has more than 135 upper school students and will graduate its largest senior class (35 students) this spring. ¦
