Media Contact: John A. Stokes, (202) 673-2195

As part of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation's (DPR) ongoing celebration of Black History Month, DPR will host its first ever Black History Invitational Soccer/ Futsal Meet on Saturday, February 21, 2009, at the Riggs LaSalle Community Center at 501 Riggs Road, NE, from 9 am - 5 pm.  Over 325 players of all ages, on 25 teams from across the District and beyond, will participate in the daylong event. 

Futsal is an indoor version of soccer, played by two teams of five players, and unlike some other forms of indoor football, futsal is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regulation soccer ball.  The rules create a game with emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.

For more information about the event, contact DPR's Athletic Programs Administration, (202) 671-1700.