USA’s Farberoff and Gil lead school in Forida
It starts with one person. In this case two. One field. One game. One vision. All stories have the same model, only you replace the word field with some form of inspiration or game with any life altering event. This story starts with Francis Farberoff and Oscar Gil.
Francis is now the United States Beach Soccer National Team captain, a veteran of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, 9-time champion at the annual Virginia Beach Tournament, and most importantly the founder and director of the Florida Beach Soccer Football Club and youth soccer school.
Francis grew up in Brazil playing soccer on the sand, though without direction, as well as 11v11 soccer on the one field that was available in his town. His passion for soccer took him to the United States where he was afforded the opportunity to play with the American National Beach Soccer Team and saw a chance to improve American Beach Soccer from the ground level.
Co-founder Oscar Gil took a different path to becoming a global icon for American Beach Soccer and that includes growing up in the same town as the school, on the beautiful beaches of Hollywood, Florida. Being a symbol for the sport itself helps him serve as a local inspiration to the children. Oscar has his roots in Florida but playing for the National team has taken him all over the world to play in tournaments as well as play for some of the worlds´ best Beach Soccer clubs.
The Florida Beach Soccer Football Club is the first school of its kind and has been wildly successful since its inception in 2010. It is unique because it provides children with training in soccer, futsal, and beach soccer. The development center focuses on teaching both boys and girls from before age 7 to age 18, competitively, recreationally, as well as including personal tutelage.
Teammate Oscar Gil was also instrumental in the creation of the school and collaborated with Francis while both were in a tournament in Brazil. The two colleagues had the experience, tool-sets, and desire to elevate the play of the future United States National Teams.
Oscar and Francis are both grizzled veterans of Beach Soccer but even they are continually surprised by the talent and accomplishments of their young pupils, in fact some impressive feats include fielding a Beach Soccer team that won back-to-back National championships as well as an Under 7 team that has been forced to play in the Under 8 division and is still excelling.
Without all the accomplishments and accolades you can tell that the youth of America are adapting to the game and enjoy it. In fact, Francis proudly states that, “the children often go to the beach to play Beach Soccer on their days off.” Oscar jokes that, “They (the children) are able to learn the nuances of the sport quicker than I remember learning them, it was hard for me.”
As young as Beach Soccer is, it is even younger in the United States. Though the nation has not played for very long, they have much experience on the international stage and now have the knowledge and groundwork in place to further engrain themselves in the sport. The cornerstone for the future of Beach Soccer in the United States is the youth.
Unlike most stories, this tale has no fall, no downside after the climax. The future is bright and the academy will hopefully soon be sending their own home grown talent to the international stage. Beach Soccer skills and overall intelligence is growing every day in the United States due in part to the FBSFC as well as more and more international events.
