‘Champions’ Win AUA Futsal Tournament

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YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) kicked off the month-long Futsal Tournament 2023 on February 18. The initiative came from football enthusiasts, and the AUA Office of Student Affairs helped in organizing the tournament, confident that such a sport event would be of great interest to the community and provide fun and exciting times. The tournament also offered the opportunity to showcase AUA community members’ athletic skills, foster teamwork and sportsmanship while promoting a healthy lifestyle.

There was an attempt to organize such an event in 2020, which unfortunately was interrupted because of the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. This year, the event was a success and brought together not only futsal players, but futsal lovers and supporters as well. 

There were 12 student and two alumni teams competing for the AUA Futsal 2023 Cup. Extra Stars and Joga Bonito came in second and third, respectively. The alumni team Champions took the Futsal 2023 cup. “We have been playing together since 2013 when we were still students and our team represented AUA in intercollegiate tournaments. We know one another and understand our roles very well having played in similar tournaments before. Our soccer coach Erik Martisosyan helped us a lot during those years to become good players and develop as a team. Coming back together with our former teammates was exciting, but reaching the finals was the pinnacle of this tournament,” said Mikayel Astsaturyan (BAB ‘17), captain of the Champions. 

The Champions won the final game with a score of 3:1 against the Extra Stars. “The feeling of victory after so many years is great. I would like to thank the organizers for allowing alumni to take part in the tournament,” Mikayel concluded. 

The finalists were awarded medals and the Champions took home the AUA Futsal Cup. 

The positive feedback from the University community has been encouraging and promising that in future tournaments faculty and staff may want to compete along with student and alumni teams making this tournament a lasting AUA tradition. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.