I.5. BEACH SOCCER

Beach soccer was inspired by the acrobatic soccer game played on the beaches of Brazil and, later, in California. In 1992, Giancarlo Signorini, father of professional beach soccer, organized an experimental championship on Will Rogers Beach in Los Angeles. The majority of the rules that he improved there are unchanged to this day. The first world championship was held in 1993 in Rio and it was won by the Brazilian team. This event is still organized in Rio.

By the recent years, beach soccer has become a prestigious game of international tournaments, held on the most beautiful beaches of the world with the participation of famous players and broadcast by major TV companies. The matches lasting 36 minutes and split up into 3 periods, the necessary extra playing times, the direct free kicks and the high number of goals make beach soccer a dynamic-looking, appealing game for sport-loving spectators.  

 (http://www.szabadban.hu/cikk.php?aid=ef4cdf456d1fc65aa7fbbae)