INDIANAPOLIS — ¡Viva Cuba! Indiana Futsal has partnered with Cuban-based art, sport and culture nonprofit Artecorte to co-host two futsal tournaments and build a public futsal court in Havana. And to do so, Indiana Futsal needs your assistance.

The organization will send a five-person contingent to Cuba next month to — along with Artecorte — run the two May events, aid in the art direction and construction of the court, and brainstorm ways to provide youths with access to the sport. Indiana Futsal has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the endeavor. Donations of all sizes are being accepted to help cover the group’s travel costs, extended stay in Cuba and resources provided to build the court and host the tournaments.

“I am most looking forward to connecting with the futsal community in Havana and building the relationships between the Indiana Futsal team and Artecorte,” Indiana Futsal director Justin Becht told Soc Takes.

During the group’s first weekend in Havana, they’ll help run a U16 boys futsal tournament, the second annual La Liga Cuba Futsal Tournament. The following weekend, they’ll help put on the inaugural Women’s Open Futsal Tournament, from which the first-ever official Cuba women’s national futsal team will be derived.

The two competitions will take place on the city’s existing futsal courts; the creation of the new court is a future objective for which plans will be set in place during the visit. The court’s design will be handled by Artecorte and local artists to heavily reflect Cuban culture, with input also coming from Indiana Futsal.

“The idea for this trip came from a conversation with (former Indy Eleven director of community relations and international markets) Guy-Jo Gordon, whose mom is Cuban,” Becht explained. “He visited Cuba last year and came in contact with Artecorte. Guy-Jo was introduced to Anton Buri, who ran La Liga Cuba, the first inaugural tournament that launched the whole idea. Guy-Jo connected Anton and myself to talk about futsal and brainstorm a possible event. Anton wanted to add a level of legitimacy and professionalism to the event, we wanted to learn more about the growth of futsal in Cuba and how they connect with their community.”

Artecorte is a community-oriented nonprofit that actually started out as “a cultural project to reunite barbers and hairdressers to promote and dignify their trade” in Cuba, per its website. Eventually, the organization branched out to become a beacon of art and culture in the Holy Angel (Santo Ángel) neighborhood, with a broader focus on “social, cultural, environmental and economic development.”

With the financial help of Hoosier footy supporters and soccer fans across the globe who want to be a part of this historic partnership, Indiana Futsal’s dream of creating something special alongside Artecorte for the local community in Havana will become a reality.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us and we want to show through team work we can accomplish great things, regardless of borders,” Becht said.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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