3 on 3 soccer puts an emphasis on strategy

There is so much strategy involved in 3-on-3 soccer that Jason Spinks compares the fast-paced game to chess.

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"It's a very tactical game," said Spinks, events director and director of coaching for U-16 through U-19 with the GA-SC Bulls Soccer Club. "Every move has to be just right or else you're exposed."

The alternate soccer format will be on display Saturday at Blanchard Woods Park for the Bulls' 3v3 World Tour Soccer Tournament. Registration costs $160 per team, or $130 if team members do not want a T-shirt. The deadline for registration is Monday.

The game features no goalkeepers and three players for each side trying to score on goals much smaller than those in soccer's normal format. So, players can try to shoot and score from long distance, but they must be precise with their shots.

Teams can have up to six players, who can sub out freely during the 12-minute game.

The tournament will offer divisions from 6-year-olds to adults, and it will serve as a national qualifier. Winning teams will advance to the National Cup in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Spinks said scores in past tournaments have varied coniserably, depending on the strategies teams employ.

Offering different formats, such as 3v3 and FUTSAL indoor soccer, gives soccer players different perspectives on the game.

"The more opportunities we can give these kids to play, the better they're going to get," Spinks said.

"It's going to improve the quality of the game around here."

Harlem High School 2010 graduate and soccer player Steffanie Harris is presented with a $3,000 Ryan Holt Soccer Scholarship on May 13, 2010, from Jessica Finley, 16-year-old sister of Ryan Holt, who died in a house fire in August 22, 2006. Holt was a 2006 Harlem High School graduate and lifelong soccer player. Holt's parents hope to make the scholarship an annual presentation.