JBU opens futsal court
John Brown University celebrated the official opening of a futsal court, constructed in cooperation with the Walmart Foundation, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the city of Siloam Springs.
The opening was held in the Simmons Great Hall on the campus of JBU due to weather concerns, and featured speeches from JBU president Chip Pollard, JBU men’s soccer coach Scott Marksberry, Erin Hogue from the Walmart Foundation, Siloam Springs mayor John Mark Turner, Siloam Springs Futbol Club president Dwayne Buxton and a dedication prayer from JBU women’s soccer coach Kathleen Paulson.
“JBU is grateful to have received generous grants from the Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Soccer Foundation and to have partnered with Siloam Springs Futbol Club (SSFC) and the City of Siloam Springs to build these courts,” JBU President Dr. Chip Pollard said in a JBU press release. “It represents the best of private and public partnerships that benefit JBU’s campus, our community and Northwest Arkansas.”
The facility is one 120-foot-by150-foot outdoor court covered in a sport floor that is safer than the originally planned concrete surface. The court is configured so it can be used as a single large court for 20 or more players, or two smaller courts for 5-on-5 play.
Futsal is a sport that is similar to soccer except with smaller teams on a tennis court sized surface. The game uses a smaller, more dense ball, and is focused more on individual skill and dribbling ability than the more team-focused sport of soccer. The game also moves faster, with shots being taken about ten times more often on average than in soccer, Marksberry said.
The project was praised by the speakers as a step toward community integration. Marksberry said his family had already made connections on the court that they would not have elsewhere. Hogue said the project was a great example of a communitybuilding facility.
“We partner with projects that tear down walls in the
community,” Hogue said.
Turner said he liked the location of the court, in the valley between JBU’s campus and the rest of Siloam Springs, where he said other amenities like a swimming pool had previously served to connect JBU with the rest of the community.
Turner also praised the project as a strong example of public-private partnerships. The city provided assistance in the form of labor to lay the foundation and raise the fence around the facility.
“When we work together, we can accomplish bigger and better things than if we worked alone,” Turner said.
The entire project’s costs were estimated at $200,000.