A decade has passed since FIFA and Beach Soccer Worldwide joined forces to improve the game
Many epic moments in the annals of history have gone missing. Fallen by the way-side. Just as so many feats are not recognized by the steps that led them to greater things. Not December 2nd, 2004. This day marks the day that FIFA reached an agreement with Beach Soccer Worldwide, signed at the Home of FIFA, Zurich, Switzerland. Make no mistake, there have been many smaller steps, building blocks, and unsurprisingly, more milestones, but this agreement was the phosphor that ignited the fire of beach soccer’s modern history.
Now it is considered the most important moment in the history of the sport but years of work helped set up the key agreement and the subsequent years have been filled with the kind of dedication and hard-work that are the cruxes of the sports’ success. Before the agreement FIFA was able to recognize the potential of the sport and see the excitement that it embodied. The sport traces its roots to 1992 and the first World Championship was held in 1995. After the signing with FIFA, beach soccer held the first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2005 in Copacabana, Brazil, the birthplace of the sport, which was just another piece of tinder on the flame.
Since becoming a part of the FIFA family and the birth of the World Cup itself, there have been seven finals, the first being won by France, but the godfathers of the game, Brazil, have won four of the seven titles and Russia have been crowned champions in the two last ones. The eighth World Cup will be in 2015 in Portugal and is slated to be a new step forward for beach soccer. The people of Portugal have been ablaze with the beach soccer passion and they will not disappoint the soccer world.
First and foremost, Beach Soccer Worldwide would to thank FIFA for their faith and backing. The thorough support of the fans, players, and officials has also been instrumental in seeing the sport grow to what it is today. And to think it all started exactly ten years ago today. One seemingly normal day has turned into the spark plug that has carried beach soccer to here. The future is bright and this date, December 2nd, 2004, shall not be lost on all of us going forward.
