Beach Soccer comes to Kirra this July!

You would probably be aware that last year we successfully sponsored a pilot of Beach Soccer at Kirra Beach. We have now been successful in attracting a larger event which has grown out of last year’s trial. We have committed sponsorship to the new event, which has a website that can be found here.  

Beach Soccer is massive internationally, particularly in the Western states of the USA and in Brazil and, with our international airport, we see tremendous potential for it to bring national and international recognition and visitations to our region.

About Beach Soccer
Although a relatively new sport in Australia the first games of Beach Soccer started more than 30 years ago on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The game quickly became an art form with highly skilled players doing diving headers, bicycle kick and spectacular tricks. Beach soccer also known as Sand Soccer is now widely played on beaches all over the world.

The participation of internationally renowned players such as flamboyant Frenchman and Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has helped to expand television coverage to large audiences in over 170 countries worldwide, making Beach Soccer one of the fastest growing sports in the world. In 1994, the first North American Sand Soccer Championships took place in Virginia Beach, Vancouver. This tournament has grown from 28 teams in 1994 to over 950 in 2009.

In 2004 FIFA made Beach Soccer an official sport under their banner. A year later, the inaugural Beach Soccer World Cup was played in Brazil. The first Beach Soccer World Cup was won by a French team coached by Eric Cantona. In 2009 the first Australian Men’s Beach Football team competed in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2009 Asian Qualifiers in Dubai. The tournament involved 16 nations including United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Uruguay, Solomom Islands, Spain, Cote d Ivoire, El Salvador, Russia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Nigeria and Switzerland.

For the best Kirra Accommodation during this event, stay at Kirra Surf Apartments