Lee Cullip, Sporting Director, and Sarah Gifford, Marketing Coordinator, saw that there was a missing niche in the Houstin area. In 2021, the Bluebonnets returned in the form of a futsal club to serve the local community in their area. Gifford played soccer her entire life and ended up playing at the semi-pro level on the TTi Bluebonnets WPSL team. After her career ended, she found a new passion in being the powerhouse behind the scenes at TTi, also becoming a sound board for Cullip to bounce ideas off of. Cullip has an impressive background in coaching and playing himself, and his consistent drive is what led to TTi being born.

“The game has given me so much that I can’t imagine having a personal connection - besides with my family and friends - that is deeper than with the sport of soccer itself,” says Cullip. He describes that it is a form of true, heartfelt communication, that the game itself isn’t based on tactics or technique, yet it is based on passion and communication. “You can go anywhere in the world with a ball and find connections,” Cullip comments. Anyone who is a part of the soccer and futsal world know this to be true. Cullip also finds that he coaches because of the act of service. He has the ability to provide services to the Houston community, which can then reach regionally, and eventually, internationally. The attention to detail the TTi Staff prides itself in will help these players to become what they envision themselves to be.

Once a player herself, Gifford sees how beneficial futsal can be to the current youth. “I see it enhancing the technical ability of these younger players tremendously. If you take a player who already plays full field and get them into futsal, once they are back on the full field, you will easily tell the difference in their technical ability. It will develop confidence and teach them how to play quicker using a smaller ball in a smaller space.” Cullip thinks that futsal simply makes a ton of sense. He noticed that his players were yearning to play competitively year round. Both Gifford and Cullip saw that there was a place for futsal, and now that they are able to provide it, they hope that a lot of people in the community will take advantage of it and want to find out more about the sport for themselves. Futsal is what TTi has been missing and looking for.

Joining the Champions Cup Series will allow TTi to get to where they envision themselves going. Cullip and Gifford are both confident that they have the resources to provide what they think is necessary - they want this for their community. “Everything comes down to improvement,” says Cullip, “both on the playing side and the coaching side.” They believe that futsal is the key to overall development of their players, and being a part of the Champions Cup Series will give them the tools they need to continue to grow and play at that competitive level they have been striving for.

President of United Futsal, Rob Andrews, comments on the Bluebonnets joining the Champions Cup Series. “We are excited to work with TTi Soccer on adding futsal to their already renowned technical training program. Working with Lee and his staff to expose these players to the highest level of futsal will be our goal for this first season. They will be a great addition to the Champions Cup Series!”

Full details on the Champions Cup Series™ competition calendar, program details and information for clubs wishing to apply for membership are now available at www.unitedfutsal.com.

ABOUT TTi BLUEBONNETS:

TTi BLUEBONNETS felt that adding a futsal club to their existing structure and giving a competitive edge to their program would be a beneficial pathway for current and new players. They provide individual attention, professional approach, quality of instruction, experienced advice, college and professional contacts as well as a teachers and educators approach to players development both short and long term. More information about TTi and how to reach them can be found at www.ttisoccer.com.

ABOUT UNITED FUTSAL:

UNITED FUTSAL is the industry leader in providing the highest level tournaments and events for youth and amateur futsal players in the world. Since 2010, over 100,000 athletes, coaches, fans and referees representing 25 countries have participated in its World Futsal Cup, World Futsal Championships and FUTURES™ programs and precursory events. For more information visit unitedfutsal.com.