Surf, Sand and Beach Soccer!

When the sport of soccer is mentioned, many people think of the traditional soccer game that is played on a field. Most soccer teams, including the World Cup soccer teams, do in fact play this most widely recognized form of soccer. But there is another form of soccer that is commonly played worldwide, and that has its own version of the World Cup. This form of soccer is known as beach soccer.

Beach soccer, as its name implies, is most often played on the beach. The sandy surface is the driving force behind many of the differences between standard soccer play and beach soccer play. The difference most easily spotted when looking at the players on a beach soccer team is that the players are barefoot. Ankle guards are permitted, but under no circumstances is any beach soccer player allowed to wear shoes.

Beach soccer also requires a more thorough preparation of the playing field. Barefoot beach soccer players do not welcome the pebbles, rocks, and seashells, which are sought after by most beachgoers. These objects can cause injury, so the sand within the boundaries of the playing field must be carefully examined, and all debris removed.

The playing field in beach soccer is also a different size than in traditional soccer. A standard sized playing field in traditional soccer is 90 to 120 meters long and 45 to 90 meters wide. A beach soccer field, on the other hand, is only 35 to 37 meters long, and 26 to 28 meters wide. Running on sand is more difficult than running on grass or artificial turf, so it would be very difficult for beach soccer players to utilize a standard sized playing field.

Like traditional soccer, beach soccer also has an international tournament known as the World Cup. The Beach Soccer World Cup is held annually, rather than every four years like the traditional soccer World Cup is. However, the Beach Soccer World Cup is organized by the same group that oversees the World Cup. This organization is known as FIFA, and it has organized the Beach Soccer World Cup for two years, 2005 and 2006. Between the years of 1995 and 2004, the Beach Soccer World Cup was known as the Beach Soccer World Championships. During these years, the tournament was not organized by FIFA, but by Beach Soccer Worldwide, a group based in Spain. While the number of teams in the traditional World Cup is 32, the number of teams in the Beach Soccer World Cup fluctuates, reaching an all-time high of 16 teams in the year 2006.

The two types of international beach soccer tournaments do have some things in common. One thing is that all the tournaments have been held in Brazil. The most common location of the tournaments has been the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian team was also the most frequent championship team in the Beach Soccer World Championships and the Beach Soccer World Cup. In fact, the Brazilian team has won the tournament every year except two. In the year 2001, the Portuguese team took home the Beach Soccer World Championships title, and in the year 2005, the French team won the Beach Soccer World Cup.

With the introduction of an international beach soccer tournament, and the popularity of the beach in general, beach soccer has grown tremendously over the past few years. Beach soccer offers an alternative to more commonplace beach games such as volleyball. As more teams join the Beach Soccer World Cup, the popularity of beach soccer is sure to continue to grow.