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[ACTIVE PASSION: Amateur footballer Annabelle Genu (with ball) is one of around 120 players taking part in the women's amateur league matches held at the Ubersports Arena's futsal courts at East Coast Park.]
By DAWN TAY
SHE has netted an amazing 100 goals in 18 games.
But Ms Annabelle Genu is no professional football sensation. She is merely one of a group of dedicated amateur women footballers who are taking part in a futsal league organised by Singapore amateur football organisation ESPZEN.
Currently in its second season, the league has seen the number of women players grow almost fourfold to around 120 players, said the organisation's managing director, Mr Lee Taylor.
Indeed, what started out for him as a hobby, due to his "passion for the sport and frustration at the lack of properly organised amateur football" in 2004, rapidly became a small business as the number of futsal teams here increased.
Futsal is a variant of football that is mainly played indoors. ESPZEN now runs football and futsal leagues all year round for over 3,000 men and women.
But running amateur leagues here has not been without challenges. For example, Mr Taylor's dream of an 11-a-side women's football league has been unsuccessful thus far, owing to a lack in numbers.
Another observation is that expatriates still outnumber Singaporean women footballers.
When my paper caught a women's futsal game at the indoor courts at East Coast Park, only about 30 per cent of the players were Singaporeans; the rest were expatriates.
Explained Mr Taylor: "In Singapore, women's futsal is probably the newest sport to hit the shores. Four years ago, there were no futsal venues here, so the sport will take time to develop.
"There are a large number of expatriates (who take part in the sport) as women's football is very popular in Europe and the United States."
Yet, he is confident that the women's football scene here will grow with increasing acceptance and exposure. He said: "The key to growth is ensuring that sporty females are aware that women's futsal is an active sport which they can learn very fast, while building their social networks."
Indeed, the amateur leagues have been a hit. Said Faber Futsal Club player Marilyn Lee, 23: "It helps to publicise the sport and also brings women together to play."
Indeed, Ms Genu, their goal-poaching supremo, said: "As women, we don't have many options (to play futsal). I don't think there's anything else that comes close to this.
"It's a good platform for getting to know other people."
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