A Khmer Super Red player (yellow and black) is tackled by a Preah Khan Reach player during the final of the National Futsal League at the indoor hall of the Old Stadium last December. Photograph: Sreng Meng Srun/Phnom Penh Post

With the passion for the shorter version of football growing in Cambodia by the minute, a rare opportunity has been presented to the corporate sector to indulge in a fun-filled futsal competition beginning next month.

The inaugural five-a-side Corporate Futsal tournament will be played from September 25 to December 6 .

It is organised by Banzai, owner of the newly constructed Beeline Arena on the Chhroy Changvar peninsula, where the event will be held.

“Entries are limited to eight teams on a first come, first served basis,” marketing and events manager Charles Julliard told the Post.

Matches would be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30pm, Juillard said.

According to the organisers, the registration fee for the event is US$1,000 per team, which includes 15 hours of stadium rental credit for training as well as branding of their companies around the pitch during the tournament.

News of the competition has been welcomed by sports fans after the Football Federation of Cambodia announced last week that it was canceling this year’s edition of the annual National Futsal League.

According to FFC general secretary Kul Sophana, the two main reasons for shelving the event, scheduled for September 8 to December 23, were a lack of infrastructure and a congested schedule at the federation.

In 2011, the tournament was held at the indoor hall of the Old Stadium, with Khmer Super Red beating Preah Khan Reach 13-9 in the final to lift the trophy and collect a cool six million riel (US$1,477). Qb took third place after a 12-11 victory over Daniel FC in the play-off.

The championship had been held outside, in front of the indoor hall at Olympic Stadium, the previous year.

To contact the reporters on this story: H S Manjunath at [email protected]

Ung Chamroeun at [email protected]