The Featherstone Flamingos, an inclusive group of Forward Madison FC supporters that celebrates Black culture, will host the first-ever Featherstone Cup, a fast-paced futsal tournament, on August 30 at Penn Park in Madison.
Co-founded by Chris Fox, the group aims to honor the roots of street soccer and bring energy to the city’s newest futsal courts. “Everybody can throw a tournament on turf, on grass, but the game lives in the streets,” Fox said. “The idea of any size ball anywhere makes a point that the game is for everybody, no matter where you are. Futsal derived from a smaller sided game inside of impoverished or underserved communities throughout the world, and … we got to make sure we respect that as part of the culture
The one-day, five-a-side tournament will feature 20 teams — 10 men’s and 10 women’s — in two brackets. Teams will compete in a round-robin format with the top two in each bracket advancing to a single-elimination playoff. The winning team takes home the entire prize pool.
Games will consist of 14-minute matches (with two seven-minute halves). Tied games will go to a 2v2 + keeper golden goal situation, followed by penalty kicks if needed.
Entry fee is $200 per team, with $150 going into the prize pool and $25 donations each to Millennium Soccer Club and Featherstone’s operations drive. Food, drinks, live DJs, and shade will be provided.
Registration is open now at this link, and will close once all spots are filled. Players must be 16 or older, with eight players per roster.
Fox hopes the Featherstone Cup will grow into a seasonal series leading to a citywide championship in future years.
