Riga, Latvia
Soccer in the snow, in freezing temperatures and under the lights: for one winter, a 65' x 42' SoccerGround Portable stood next to the parking lot of an IKI hypermarket in Riga. 47 teams played in the Ikick winter soccer tournament, free of charge and in gear from adidas.
Dasher boards, ball-stop netting and roof netting keep the ball in play, even when the artificial turf is covered in snow. There are no throw-ins or corner kicks, the ball comes back off the boards. Teams played with a goalkeeper and three field players on 10' x 6.5' goals, two 15-minute halves, at temperatures just below freezing. In more than two weeks, only one day of games was lost, to rain.
The tournament was organized by Kaspars Slavinskis with the IKI supermarket chain and supported by the Latvian Football Federation. The teams came from schools, universities and amateur sides, not only from Riga. Under the motto "Nāc spēlē par brīvu!", "Come and play for free!", taking part was free, and adidas provided cleats, gloves and hats. The overall winner was the Latvian Academy of Sport Education, LSPA.
Product info: SoccerGround Portable 65' x 42', goals 10' x 6.5', ball-stop netting and roof netting