Indoor soccer clinic offered at park

There are some sports fans who can't get into soccer because of its slow, deliberate nature.

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That's where 5-on-5 indoor soccer comes in.

"It's faster. Just the nature of the game lends itself to a quicker pace," said Luke Baer, the academy director of the GA-SC Bulls Soccer Club. "(On a) smaller court, players are a little more condensed. And because it's a hard surface with less friction on the court, the ball will travel faster rolling as opposed to on grass."

The GA-SC Bulls hoped to have a tournament Saturday, but the event has been molded into more of a clinic at Patriots Park for children ages 7-14. The clinic will take place from 9 a.m. until noon for ages 7-10 and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for ages 11-14.

The club hopes the clinic generates interest so it can get plenty of teams registered for a future tournament.

"It's a fantastic concept," Baer said of futsal, the official version of indoor soccer, according to soccer's governing body FIFA. "It's taking the country by storm, but there has been some difficulty getting the word out locally."

At Saturday's clinic, instructors will teach participants the differences between outdoor and indoor soccer and provide futsal-specific training sessions. The clinic will conclude with organized games.

The cost is $15, which will include a T-shirt for each participant. Those interested can contact the club at (706) 312-7415 or csrasoccer@ga-scbulls.com.