The General Manager of the Southeast Futsal League says the league has grown far faster than he ever thought it would.

Andrew Harder says they started the futsal league at SBC back in 2013 because the school was looking for a group to use their gym on the weekends and there was a lot of interest in futsal in the Southeast. He notes they began with just six teams but have seen amazing growth since then.

“We have a lot of different divisions which is fantastic because that means everybody has an opportunity to play at their level. We are currently looking at three men’s divisions, two women’s divisions and we are looking to start a co-ed division in January. Currently, without the co-ed division, we are looking at 34 teams in the five divisions.”

Harder says the league is run by the Steinbach Bible College but most of the players are just members of the community. He notes people who aren’t connected to the Southeast Futsal League are often surprised when they hear just how big it is. He adds this growth has come with challenges.

“So far I would say it has actually been a welcome challenge because it just makes the league more exciting when you have a lot more teams and a lot more people. Even for players to be a part of it, if it is a smaller league compared to a bigger league, there is a little bit more excitement with a bigger league I think.”

Harder says with the growth they have seen over the last five and a half years, they now compare very favourably with some of the larger leagues in Winnipeg. He notes they are even attracting crowds at games.

“We have, I would say an average of about 50 people coming to watch, and this is for all levels. Obviously, for the higher and more intense games you would have closer to 100 people and certain times of the day like late evenings then maybe a few less. It is actually something that contributes to the excitement of the league especially when it gets noisy and people get excited.”

Harder says they are excited to see where the league goes in the future.