On Feb. 19, Siena Heights University had its first futsal tournament, an intramural sport.

“Futsal is like indoor soccer played on a hard surface and usually has a weighted ball so it doesn’t bounce everywhere,” said Alexander Chwalibog, one of the planners of this event.

Futsal is also played with less players than actual soccer, with soccer having around 10 or more players and futsal only having four or five players.

This event was conducted in the fieldhouse, with seven teams participating in the tournament. As the hours rolled by, students said they were really enjoying themselves and having fun.

This event was also free to all the Siena students, and had Siena students who decided not to participate in the bleachers cheering.

“The purpose of having intramural sports tournaments is to give the students an opportunity for recreation and competition for athletes and non-athletes,” said Gabe Dunbar, assistant dean for Students and also director of Student Engagement. “Spring is usually the best time to hold these tournaments because a lot of the athletes are off-season or they can relax a little bit.”

Dunbar said this event turned out to be very successful, with lots of teams participating and students getting a break from either their studies and daily college life.

“I would definitely host something like this again,” said Chwalibog.