<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beachsoccer.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>

Players in Netanya, Israel compete in the sand.

Soccer is a game of running, lots of running, and we who enjoy the beach know that running in the soft sand above the tideline is not easy. That’s why the beach runs for runners are usually planned to take place at low tide.

But soft sand allows soccer players to be more adventurous in their game: a more airborne version than that played in the grass. Confined to a smaller playing field, beach soccer requires solid teamwork with quicker flicks, volleying and juggling to avoid the unpredictable sand.

Beach soccer matches have an average shot-on-goal ratio equal to that of ice hockey; some sixty shots are attempted per game. With that many tries, the final scores are more akin that of baseball at an average of five per side. Given its fast pace and action in contrast to the original version played on vast green fields, beach soccer has been dubbed a “soccer highlight show”.

This weekend, spectators and players will converge on the manicured sand at Fiesta Island for the Beach Soccer Jam. Beginning at 8AM each day, the event will feature fast-action soccer matches accompanied with Brazilian Samba and Capoeira dancers, live music, DJs, and a beer garden.