Written by: Alissa Flores
Futsal, a fast-paced, small-sided variation of soccer played on hard courts, may soon join the array of sports facilities offered on campus, according to Alfredo Trevedan, the executive vice president for Southern Adventist University’s Student Association (SA).
Edvan Benitez, SA president, initially proposed the introduction of either pickleball or futsal courts to campus, Trevedan said. After deliberation, polls and multiple in-depth meetings, Senate decided on futsal courts and aimed to implement them within the year, a timeline that has been delayed by logistical problems, including finding a location for the courts.
Trevedan said senators contacted students through constituent emails asking for opinions, starting in the Fall 2024 semester.
“It didn’t seem like we got a lot of responses from the student body in terms of what was happening with the pickleball and futsal courts,” Trevedan said. “But students [were] more than welcome to present any excuses or concerns or anything that they [could] bring up to their senator.”
Carlos Torres, senior public relations major and member of the futsal community on campus, said he has seen soccer and futsal grow in popularity during his years at Southern. Still, participation has been limited by the lack of suitable places to play.
“Having a location that will be consistent for students is going to be super useful, and I think it’s appropriate to have somewhere for everyone to play the sport they love,” Torres said.
Trevedan explained that after gathering information from students and faculty, Senate successfully pushed for a shift in plans from pickleball to futsal courts. With the decision made, Trevedan attended an impromptu meeting with School of Health and Kinesiology leaders to present a proposition and solicit their support. He stated that during the meeting, he was surprised to learn that the faculty members did not favor the decision.
“I got grilled by the Hulsey Wellness Center,” said Trevedan, “and after that happened, they kind of shut down the idea of it being built on Hulsey’s premises.”
Despite SA’s fund of $134,000 set aside for the project, Trevedan acknowledged that the Hulsey staff presented logical reasons for their veto of the idea.
“Outdoor futsal courts are really expensive, and if we want to build a whole other indoor court, that’s going to be even more expensive,” he said.
Darrin Bissell, the facility manager at Hulsey, said the School of Health and Kinesiology staff had discussed support of a futsal court, provided that Landscape Services and Plant Services approved the location and if it did not take the place of pickleball courts. Ultimately, the School of Health and Kinesiology wanted to create a plan for maintaining the court and monitoring usage, predominantly for an indoor court.
According to Trevedan, the Health and Kinesiology staff suggested focusing on the soon-to-be-vacant Collegedale Academy (CA) Elementary gymnasium as a location for future courts. Approval would be contingent on securing permission from Southern’s administration, as well as additional planning and fundraising.
Bissell expanded on the School of Health and Kinesiology’s response in an email interview with the Accent.
“We discussed SA’s proposal to build futsal courts and support SA’s desires. We definitely were in favor of building pickleball courts, though, as the need is there,” Bissell said. “We recommended that they seek the CA Elementary school gymnasium for this purpose. This would not only meet the students’ need for more futsal game space, but also allow for other open rec opportunities, due to limited availability in the Iles gymnasium.”
Bissell stated that repurposing the indoor gymnasium would also provide year-round playability for futsal and help decrease the risk of injury, due to the indoor gym surface rather than pavement.
In response, Trevedan posted another survey on the senate’s Instagram to give students a way to voice their opinions on the decision. The purpose of the new survey was to offer insight into why the Senate chose futsal courts and also to assess the student body’s opinion in order to present more information to university administrators.
Trevedan acknowledged that some students were confused by the decision, with pickleball courts seeming like the more popular choice.
Preston Waters, senior marketing major and avid pickleball player, expressed his negative feelings about building futsal courts in an interview with the Accent.
“I understand the need for futsal courts, but I don’t think that the need is greater than the need for pickleball courts,” Waters said. “Right now, we only have four courts to play on, and in the springtime, there are lines. You aren’t able to have enough courts available for the people that want to play. I say there’s more of a need [for pickleball courts,] since it is the fastest-growing sport.”
Regarding a postponement on building pickleball courts, Torres stated, “I think that it’s fair to be upset at not having brand-new pickleball courts. I mean, who wouldn’t want new facilities? I think it’s also important to note that there are [already] facilities that get used often for pickleball and that are open for everybody, something that soccer hasn’t had the opportunity to have.”
Torres also opened up about his experiences when he and the soccer group would try to play.
“We’ve gone to a field off campus, near campus, but the cops get called on us for trespassing,” Torres said. “It’s happened a few times where we want to play; there’s a group and the plan is there. We show up to the gym, and we can’t play because everybody else is using the space. Or, we try to go play on the outdoor fields, but they’re being seeded for the next season [of soccer].”
Waters stated that while there are locations to play [pickleball] on campus, the court lines and dimensions are incorrect, which affects the game’s playability.
Trevedan countered this, saying that while the pickleball community is larger and more dominant, courts at the City of Collegedale offer nearby options in addition to Southern’s facilities. By contrast, the available space for playing futsal is restricted to campus and remains limited due to the rising numbers of basketball, volleyball and intramural hockey games.
“We want to represent the students who feel like they’re being ignored,” Trevedan said. “Obviously, that still represents the minority of students; however, the majority of students have already been represented, because there already are places to play pickleball. Whereas, if somebody wants to play soccer, they’re either trespassing or they have to pay to use an indoor court.”
Bissell said Hulsey staff will continue to hold discussions regarding this project. Trevadan said he hopes to present his proposal to the administration by the end of this week.
With futsal courts potentially on the horizon, Trevedan emphasized, “If God wants these courts to happen, He’s gonna let [us] know, and He’s gonna open the way for that.”
