Ft. Myers Beach (by Jeff Garfield) 

Grass fields may be closed for the summer, but the great game of soccer lives on at the beach! On August 3rd and 4th, the Coral Springs United F.C. (CSUFC) partook in the MAJOR BEACH SOCCER Tournament in Ft. Myers Beach, FL (for the 6th year in a row). The Girls U13 and U18 teams each brought two squads to the tournament, and each age group made it all the way to the finals. 

Major Beach Soccer is affiliated with the United Soccer League and is quickly becoming its own competitive sport outside the traditional futbol field (much the way sand and indoor volleyball has differentiated themselves). The fundamentals are the same but the skillset is very different making specific practices and drills paramount. USL officials foresee Beach Soccer to be its own event in the 2016 Summer Olympics. All four squads represented CSUFC very well. The U13 ladies fought hard in their final game but came in second overall with a current 3rd place ranking in the league. The U18 Girls beat Okeeheelee Heat (who entered the final undefeated) after overtime in a sudden death PK shootout to prevail as Champions in their age group. They are now ranked 2nd in the league, and eligible to play in the Nationals in Clearwater this winter. 

Great job to all our CSU Ladies !