When 26-year-old Mohamed El-Munir was growing up in Libya, he and his friends often played a version of soccer on a hard surface with a reduced-size court called futsal. It taught him ball control skills in tight circumstances.

Today, he is a defender for the Los Angeles Football Club.

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, El-Munir helped spread his love of sports, soccer — and especially futsal — when he celebrated the creation of two new futsal courts at Lennox Middle School.

“That’s how I learned to play,” El-Munir said of the sport, which requires fewer players and less space and is played around the world. “It’s the best. You can use your imagination to learn skills. If you start on futsal, the big field will be so easy.”

El-Munir joined teammate Javier Perez along with L.A. Football Club President and co-owner Tom Penn at the middle school Tuesday as students were given the first opportunity to play on the new surface.

Students at Lennox Middle School with teachers, administrators and representatives of the Los Angeles Football Club, LA84 Foundation and Kaiser Permanente Tuesday, Aug. 27, during a celebration of two new futsal courts on campus. (Photo by David Rosenfeld)

Students at Lennox Middle School play for the first time Tuesday, Aug. 27, on two new futsal courts provided by Los Angeles Football Club, LA84 Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. (Photo by David Rosenfeld)

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Los Angeles Football Club players Javier Perez and Mohamed El-Munir with Lennox Middle School students Abraham Silva, Esteban Rosales and Ashley Pantoja. (Photo by David Rosenfeld)



“We care about you,” Penn told the students. “There are all these forces that came together so that you all have a safe place to play, a place to learn skills and have fun with your friends, stay fit and healthy and do well in school.”

Funding for the new courts, also known as a double pitch, came from the L.A. Football Club Foundation together with Kaiser Permanente and LA84 Foundation with the goal of constructing roughly five courts per year. This is the first year of the partnership. Other courts were constructed this year at schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Eighth grader Eric Reza said he and his friends were excited to get to play on the new surface called “sport court tile,” which is much more forgiving than asphalt and does not lead to scrapes and bruises. boosters of the surface say.

“I’m speechless,” Reza said. “It’s such an honor to have these courts. We’re going to play way more now.”

Students had already been playing an improvised version of the game on the asphalt, using their backpacks for goals, Reza said. Now, they not only have a smooth surface to play on, but they have real goal posts.

Principal Lissett Pichardo said the courts were something that would have benefits for many years to come.

“This is something that is going to have a lasting effect on our school and our community,” she said.

Senior vice president at Kaiser Permanente Georgina Garcia, said the courts would help students stay healthy and have fun at the same time

“Teamwork also has health benefits,” Garcia said. “We really hope this futsal court gives you long term happiness, long term health, and you all enjoy it for many years to come,” she told the students.

“Who knows?” she added. “Maybe one of you will end up like Javi and Mohamed over here.”