The World Freestyle Football Association has announced a new partnership with Latvian sports organisation Ghetto Games, the creators of some of Europe’s most renowned street competitions. Thanks to the agreement between both institutions, a selection of national Freestyle Football championships will be held alongside the stops of the Ghetto Games’ prime 3×3 street football tournament, the Ghetto Football Euro League.
The inclusion of Freestyle Football events in the Euro League —a continental championship that will take place in 11 countries during the spring and summer of 2022 and end with a Grand Final on June 8th in Riga, Latvia— will help raise awareness of the sport all over Europe, while also introducing the Freestyle Football community to the 3×3 street football universe. This collaboration will doubtlessly help popularise the two subcultures and unveil new rising stars of both sports.
All dates and locations of the official Freestyle Football National championships will be disclosed in the coming months through the official channels of the WFFA; stay tuned to get the latest updates! In the meantime, the stops of the Ghetto Football Euro League are already available on the Ghetto Games official website.
Lukáš Škoda, Head of Operations at the WFFA, said: “This is going to be a great year for the street sports culture. I really appreciate the opportunity for the WFFA to connect the Ghetto Football Euro League with our Country Leaders and help Freestyle Football events flourish in multiple countries. It’s key for us to give new opportunities to sportspeople in order to prove that street sports are part of the culture in all European countries.”
Pekko ‘PeGe’ Piirto, Head of the Global Network at the WFFA, said: “We are absolutely ecstatic to collaborate with the Ghetto Games! We’ve always felt very close to their vision and admired the awesome work they have been doing for street sports. We believe this opportunity to connect the stops of their Euro League with our own Freestyle Football National championships will boost both sports and help the respective scenes grow all across Europe.”
Matīss Babris, Ghetto Football Event Organizer and Manager, said: “With this partnership, we hope to increase the attractiveness of street football and Freestyle Football all over the continent. We are positive that these events will encourage more people, not just from Latvia but from all Europe, to try Freestyle Football and join the community!”.
Antons Semeņaks, Ghetto Football Leader, Organizer and MC, said: ”Take it or leave it, but Freestyle Football is an integral component of football in the 2020s. This is the reason why we want it to become a crucial part of our street football events, where Freestyle Football can fill us with unforgettable emotions and make players and spectators wonder how those tricks can be done. Also, we will include panna tournaments in our events – who knows, maybe we will see the first triple champion in 3v3, panna and freestyle!”.
About Ghetto Football
Ghetto Football is the biggest street football movement in Latvia, a competition that includes 3×3 football, 1×1 panna and Freestyle Football. The organisers of the event accumulate 11 years of experience with 150+ tournaments, including international championships. Every year there is a season of regular tournaments at the end of which the best teams in various age groups are determined.
For more information about Ghetto Football, please contact Antons Semeņaks at semenaks@gmail.com or visit the official channels of the tournament:
- Website: www.ghettogames.com
- Instagram: @ghettofootball and @ghettogames
- Facebook: Ghetto Football
- Youtube: Ghetto TV
Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!
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