Lasse Eriksen was a professional football player in the eighties. The ex-defender played golf also, so when he saw the mixture of these two games, his future was decided. Now, he is in charge of the international affairs of the Norway FootGolf Association and also a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation for International FootGolf. He promises, the Norwegian national team will be a strong one in the World Cup.
Lasse recognised FootGolf as a promising newborn sport less than five years ago. “A few people played a game similar to FootGolf in camp grounds and parks in Germany and in Denmark, where I saw it. We joined the rest of the world in the spring of 2013, when we started to play in golf courses in Norway and with the help and support of people from the existing country organizations, especially Hungary and Argentina, we started generating some success. By the end of that year we had two courses to play FootGolf and last year we added seventeen more. Today, we have nineteen courses, and one of them is dedicated for FootGolf only.” Norway has two hundred golf courses, which is not as much as for example Sweden has, but there are no place to play FootGolf yet so, other than continue promoting the sport in our country, we hope we can contribute to expand it in the region. He added, “Other than kids and youth, It is really nice to see adult and senior people playing FootGolf, as well. Our sport is fantastic, it can be played by anyone. What I really like about in this sport is that you can have a plan for the game, even if you can not kick the ball far away.” Lasse Eriksen believes, the ex-professionals can promote the game, but the most important thing is to have FootGolfers on the courses, not only for tournaments but, everyday, if possible. “One of the best chess players is Magnus Carlsen, who loved to play FootGolf, when had free time. It helps us, but we need players to the events.” Norway is going to hold a stage of the European Footgolf Trophy Tour 2015 at the end of May, “This tour unites the FIFG members much more and not just Europeans, because players from all the world can join us, as we saw last time, when Mark Woodward from the United States won the first stage in Marbella, Spain.” Norway needs more golf players on it’s courses as any other country all around the world and since FootGolf is a great sport to invite the entire family, “Our slogan is: grandpa plays golf, while grandson plays FootGolf”. We have been working on building relationship with many schools and businesses around the country, they are now buying time to be on the courses for their PE classes, and we are getting requests for business events also.” The Norwegian association focuses on growing the base as a player, hoping to average a hundred players on their tournaments. “This season is more important than the last one was, because our championship is qualifying for the next World Cup. We will come up with a quite strong team, wait and see.”
0 Comments
Golf Australia (GA), Football Federation Australia (FFA) and FootGolf Australia have signed a landmark memorandum of understanding to work together to promote FootGolf – a sport that could revolutionise the use of golfing real estate around the country.
Golf and football have joined forces around one of Australia’s most rapidly developing sports. GA’s golf development director Cameron Wade says the innovative game perfectly matches the plan of all three sports to boost participation and increase activity among Australians. “Golf Australia recognises the importance of developing and supporting innovative formats of the game that connect with potential future golfers,” Wade said. “FootGolf also provides a tremendous opportunity for golf facilities to diversify their revenue streams and to connect with new market segments that help participation. Even better, it’s a great way for golf to open its doors and provide an opportunity for new sports participants to enjoy the stunning surroundings of a golf course.” FFA national participation manager Salv Carmusciano says, the partnership between the bodies demonstrates how sports can work together to get more Australians active and healthy. “FFA is proud to enter into a unique partnership with both Golf Australia and FootGolf Australia for the benefit of community members. FootGolf is another way, how Australians can enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle”. FootGolf Australia's director Christian Wainmayer is delighted with the trust and support of GA and FFA. "The public response seen at the three golf courses currently offering footgolf (Wembley Golf Course in Perth, Cardinia Beaconhills in Melbourne and Colonial Golf Course in Sydney) has been very positive,” Wainmayer said. “2015 awaits with the launch of FootGolf at Teven Valley Golf Course on the New South Wales North Coast and we hope more golf courses across Australia become affiliated in this year to achieve the national coverage, the sport needs. We will be working with GA and FFA on a number of initiatives across both social and competitive levels aimed at increasing participation and engagement levels. FootGolf gives Australians another great excuse for being out and fit while having fun … and where better than at a golf course?" he said. “Mexico would like to join the elite of FootGolf and it is taking longer than expected because course owners and operators are not quite ready in this country, yet. We are now working on different aspects to find the solution for this situation”, says Francisco Gonzalez, the president of the Federacion Mexicana de FootGolf (FMFG).
Francisco Gonzalez, a civil engineer and respected business man in Monterrey Nuevo Leon Mexico, talked about the first steps of FootGolf in his country: “I was introduced to FootGolf by Roberto Balestrini the founder of the American FootGolf League in December 2011 and we started building the federation in January 2012. At the time, we had just a few months to get familiar with the sport before the first World Cup in Budapest, Hungary. Then a group of five members, three players, a FMFG board director and myself represented my country on that magnificent event. That was a fabulous learning experience and we came back home with some good numbers! Francisco de la Garza grabbed the 20th, Tomas Martinez the 42nd and Eduardo Kuri the 61st place.” About the promotion of our sport to the Mexican nation, Francisco explained, “There are around one hundred courses in the country, most of them are private clubs and reluctant to open their facilities to different activities other than golf. But, regardless of the difficulties, each year we have tournaments and continue to get involved more and more players. We had organized events in Monterrey, Veracruz, Puebla and Guadalajara in the past. This year we will have FootGolf tournaments in Mexico City and another one in Cancun for very first time and we are very excited about it.” The next World Cup will be in South America, which is a bit closer to the Mexicans than the first one and, same as other countries, they are preparing for the next World Cup, “Argentina is an amazing country and the AAFG secured a beautiful place to host the most important tournament in the FootGolf world. We don’t care if It is a ten-hour flight to get there or it is not so easy for us to get courses to practice but, one thing is for sure: Mexico is going to be present at Pilar Country Club in Buenos Aires with our best players. We are not as strong as we want to be, but we will work hard on it participating in a few international tournaments, organizing a few more at home and launching the first Mexican National Championship to determine who is going to represent us in Argentina next year.” We asked the president of Footgolf France, Romuald Pretot about this year’s plans. More than one year ago there were no place to play the game, now they are going to host one of the stages of the European Footgolf Trophy Tour in May. Additionally, now it is more than rumours that Robert Pires and Ludovic Giuly can be ambassadors of footgolf. What are the plans for this year? Last year we have introduced Footgolf Cup in towns where are professional football clubs. We had this year’s first round two weeks ago, and the next one is going to held this weekend. After twelve stages it ends in October. On the mornings there are the competitions for individuals, and after that we have the team event. The best three individuals and teams qualify for the final, which will be on 10th October. How many players go to these events? We have between 50 and 100 footgolfers on every occasion. It can be more, when people come to us from abroad. Can we say, these numbers are growing? Of course. First of all we have to develop every part of the game, and we spend a lot of time working on it. At the beginning of last year there were no courses to play footgolf. Now, we have 15 courses, where you can play footgolf regularly, and we have 22 courses to play occasionally. Are you preparing to host one of the stages of the European Footgolf Trophy Tour? We are negotiating with one very famous golf course. In a few days I can tell which one is it. It’s a very nice place, and at the end of May there will be a lot of famous sportsmen. A few retired professional football stars tried the sport in your country. Have you got new ones? Jean-Pierre Papin, Sylvain Wiltord and the brazilian Valdo are ambassadors to develop the sport. We are negotiating right now with Robert Pires and Ludovic Giuly. In 2014 we had around 60 retired or active football players in the Footgolf Cup. We are trying to invite famous persons to every event. For example the next one will be Valentin Porte, the world champion handball player. Why him, and not a football player? It is important to say, footgolf is not for football players only. Everyone is welcomed. We want our footgolf courses to be opened for everybody who loves sport to have a good time. We had persons from judo, rugby and athletics also. The next World Cup is coming soon. How do you prepare for this event? Since we have our national tour, we are searching for the best players. We have fifteen footgolfers, who are part of the French team. Three of them played in Ligue One before. We are getting better and better, and it will be exciting to select the team, which will represent our country in the next World Cup in Argentina. Argentina will host the second World Cup next winter (summer in Argentina). The president of the Argentinian FootGolf Association, Javier de Ancizar talked about the history, the potential and the development of the sport of FootGolf in the South American country.
Is it a privilege hosting the next World Cup? Yes, a dream came true, I still don't believe it! When the first World Cup finished in 2012, I thought, I wanted to organise an event like this. I saw, what a great job Gábor Gelencsér did at that time in Hungary. I wanted the same. On the last day of the tournament I promised, the next one would be in Argentina. Now here is the possibility. I worked on that idea, and for last October I have seen, it could be real because of the public sponsorship. The government of the province of Buenos Aires confirmed, they are going to support us. Where will be the World Cup? Pilar Golf Club is hosting the event. It is one of the top courses in Argentina next to Buenos Aires. How is the sport developing at international level? There are more and more nations and players involved in this sport. The footgolfers play higher and higher level. For example, there will be qualification tournaments in the countries who send players to Argentina. Where is FootGolf in Argentina, if we talk about sports in general? It is a new one, but a lucky one. When we started it, it was so important to promote it, so a lot of ex-professional football players tried it. It was on a sport tv channel, we had a show called: ‘This is FootGolf. These famous football players showed everybody in the country, what it was. Now, FootGolf is a recognized by the Sport Federation of Argentina, so this sport is officially a real sport here. What is your message to the players, who are playing this year to qualify for the World Cup? Everyone, who is coming to play, will have their best moments of their life here. The National Golf Course Owners Association announces partnership with American FootGolf League18/3/2015 CHARLESTON, S.C. – The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), the leading authority on golf course ownership and management, has recognized the American FootGolf League (AFGL) as the “Governing Body for the Sport of FootGolf in the U.S.” and it’s “Official FootGolf Organization”, announced Mike Tinkey, deputy CEO of NGCOA.
“FootGolf, as promoted by the AFGL, under the rules and guidelines of the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG) is a proven revenue generator for golf course operators in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and is growing worldwide,” said Tinkey. “It has taken off virally and the number of FootGolf courses is growing rapidly as it brings in new customers and new revenue. Facilities are reporting they are seeing more millennials, women, children and young families after introducing FootGolf.” “Golf course owners/operators in Canada and Michigan have recognized FootGolf as the ‘Idea of the Year’ at their respective conferences in 2013 and 2014,” added Tinkey. “It has been well received at the NGCOA Annual Conferences in 2014 and 2015 and at the NGCOA Multicourse Leadership Retreat in 2014, as well as at chapter meetings. We’ve seen FootGolf embraced by single and multicourse companies alike so this designation is a natural fit.” FootGolf has quickly spread across the United States since its introduction here in 2011. The AFGL, the official governing body for the fast-growing sport of FootGolf in the U.S., has sanctioned hundreds of courses in nearly every state. “Our relationship with the NGCOA further validates the sport of FootGolf and the role of the AFGL in growing it in the United States,” said Roberto Balestrini, who along with his wife, Laura, introduced FootGolf in North America. “We’ve got great relationships with many of the leading golf course operators already and look forward to continuing to expand and introduce FootGolf to new golf facilities in 2015. ” A combination of golf and soccer played with a regulation soccer ball on a shortened golf course, FootGolf is played much like golf, with the goal being to get the soccer ball into a 21-inch hole with as few kicks as possible. It is played on golf courses with the 18 holes located away from the golf putting surfaces. As the “Official FootGolf Organization,” AFGL will provide NGCOA members with special benefits. In return, the NGCOA will offer its endorsement to the AFGL and promote the organization to its membership. For more information on FootGolf and the AFGL, visit www.footgolf.net. About the NGCOA: The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The association represents key decision-makers with ultimate responsibility for golf courses throughout the world. Through advocacy, information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information, visit www.ngcoa.org or call 1-800-933-4262. A unique nation versus nation game was played last weekend in Rome, where Italy won against France. The revenge will be in April.
Romuald Pretot, the president of the French federation said: “I asked some countries, if they are interested in a match play against us. The first opponent was Italy.” Leonardo Decaria, president of the Italian national association added: “There was an Italy-France rugby match on Sunday, so we wanted to “double” the competition with another international challenge on the day before. We did a match play tournament, with ten players from Italy challenging ten players from France. For example, I played against Romuald and Massimo Carta (President of Roma FootGolf, the organizing association) played against Ludovic Gaumy (President of FootGolf Provence).” Finally, Italy won 6-3, and there was only one draw, between the two presidents. The revenge will take place in Marseille in April. Romuald Pretot wants to continue this type of playing form: “It is a two-in-one competition. You play for yourself to be the best and you fight for your country to beat the rival nation. like in Ryder Cup in golf. We try to do more games like this. At the weekend Switzerland is coming to Toulouse to play against France.” The National Golf Course Owners Association announces Partnership with American FootGolf League17/3/2015 CHARLESTON, S.C. – The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), the leading authority on golf course ownership and management, has recognized the American FootGolf League (AFGL) as the “Governing Body for the Sport of FootGolf in the U.S.” and it’s “Official FootGolf Organization”, announced Mike Tinkey, deputy CEO of NGCOA.
“FootGolf, as promoted by the AFGL, under the rules and guidelines of the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG) is a proven revenue generator for golf course operators in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and is growing worldwide,” said Tinkey. “It has taken off virally and the number of FootGolf courses is growing rapidly as it brings in new customers and new revenue. Facilities are reporting they are seeing more millennials, women, children and young families after introducing FootGolf.” “Golf course owners/operators in Canada and Michigan have recognized FootGolf as the ‘Idea of the Year’ at their respective conferences in 2013 and 2014,” added Tinkey. “It has been well received at the NGCOA Annual Conferences in 2014 and 2015 and at the NGCOA Multicourse Leadership Retreat in 2014, as well as at chapter meetings. We’ve seen FootGolf embraced by single and multicourse companies alike so this designation is a natural fit.” FootGolf has quickly spread across the United States since its introduction here in 2011. The AFGL, the official governing body for the fast-growing sport of FootGolf in the U.S., has sanctioned hundreds of courses in nearly every state. “Our relationship with the NGCOA further validates the sport of FootGolf and the role of the AFGL in growing it in the United States,” said Roberto Balestrini, who along with his wife, Laura, introduced FootGolf in North America. “We’ve got great relationships with many of the leading golf course operators already and look forward to continuing to expand and introduce FootGolf to new golf facilities in 2015. ” A combination of golf and soccer played with a regulation soccer ball on a shortened golf course, FootGolf is played much like golf, with the goal being to get the soccer ball into a 21-inch hole with as few kicks as possible. It is played on golf courses with the 18 holes located away from the golf putting surfaces. As the “Official FootGolf Organization,” AFGL will provide NGCOA members with special benefits. In return, the NGCOA will offer its endorsement to the AFGL and promote the organization to its membership. For more information on FootGolf and the AFGL, visit www.footgolf.net. About the NGCOA: The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The association represents key decision-makers with ultimate responsibility for golf courses throughout the world. Through advocacy, information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information, visit www.ngcoa.org or call 1-800-933-4262. Four countries sent their intention to the FIFG to organize the next World Cup. Argentina, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each had to submit their complete bid to the international federation by the 15th of March. There was only one nation, who submitted their complete application. They will host the next World Cup.
Argentina was the only country, who sent their bid to the FIFG by the deadline. In that case there will be no voting for the hosting country. The FIFG announced: the World Cup goes to Argentina. Laura Balestrini, the president of the American FootGolf League (AFGL) and Vice President of the Federation for International FootGolf, commented: “The US and the UK will support the World Cup being in Argentina. We feel, the natural evolution of the sport merits Argentina being the next host of the World Cup. They presented a strong application showing the capability of covering all aspects required to host the next World Cup.” Details are coming soon. This year’s Footgolf Hungarian Championship is starting this weekend on the country’s national holiday. After eight stages we will know the winners of the categories and the team, which will represent Hungary in the World Cup.
Because of the next World Cup is coming soon, Hungary decided, their national championship is the best way to select the best players to represent them in the biggest occasion at the end of this year or in 2016 (depends on, who will host the WC). Every nation has ten places to register for the tournament, and because Béla Lengyel won the first World Cup in 2012, he has secured his place in the WC automatically. The medalist of the men’s competition, the winner of the senior category, and the best five players on the ranking list has the chance to go to World Cup, and a team leader is chosen also. If someone can not go to the cup, the next footgolfer on the list get the quota. So with these players and Lengyel, Hungary has eleven places for the World Cup. |
Archives
December 2020
Categories |