Check Out Erik Hegerty’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Hegerty. 

Hi Erik, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a professional futsal player here in Cincinnati playing for Ginga FS, a first-year team in the National Futsal Premier League (NFPL). 

My journey as a futsal player started in 2009. Back then, I didn’t know what futsal was really. Up until then, I was only playing organized soccer for my local club & school teams as well as street soccer. Street soccer was my favorite because it truly allowed me to learn all about the game when playing, I would play just about every day after-school in my neighborhood or on special occasions get my parents to drive me to an organized street soccer pick-up hosted by, now School of Ginga, the youth futsal side to Ginga FS. Back then the Ginga guys, as we called them, just did organized pickups a couple times a week where anyone who wanted to come play, would. It allowed me to learn and play against kids younger and older than me. In 2010, the Ginga guys started what is now, School of Ginga, the established youth futsal club here in Cincinnati. Once they started, street soccer and futsal became the focal point of their teaching, how to really control the ball and play the beautiful game, they taught total ball control. This along with learning the game of “futsal” meant I was developing at a rapid rate and loving every part of the process, I couldn’t get enough. I played futsal with Ginga for every winter up until I left Cincinnati to go to college in the fall of 2016. At that time, there was no place or structure to play futsal in the US outside of the youth game, so I was forced to give it up for the time being. Parallel to my time playing soccer in college, a new semi-professional/professional futsal league was forming in the Midwest region of the US, exactly where I was, consisting of teams from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and now Minnesota. So, in 2019, after 3 years of playing soccer in college, I made the decision to drop out and pursue my passion of futsal. I didn’t really know how I was going to do it; I just knew I needed to do it for myself. All the time. effort and passion I had put towards futsal, I owed it to myself to give it a go at playing professionally. The closest club to me was Columbus, an hour and a half drive from Cincinnati. So, I went to their open tryout in October of 2019. Fortunate enough, I ended up making the team. I would be playing for Columbus Futsal in the 2019/2020 NFPL season, the 2nd year of the leagues existence. Soon after this, I had also been invited to an ID camp being held by the US National Futsal Team, who was forming the team to compete in CONCACAF and hopefully the Futsal World Cup in Fall of 2020. I attended the ID camp in Pittsburgh at the end of October and that is where I injured myself, I had rolled my ankle so badly I just about tore a ligament. It would take 5 months to fully heal, putting me out of the running for the national team and also most of the NFPL season with Columbus. Fast forward to March of 2020, the pandemic hit just as I was getting back into training, time just about stood still. The NFPL league was shut down and eventually cancelled for the 2019/20 season. Fast forward again to September of 2020, just under a year since my injury, Lansing City Futsal, another team in the NFPL, approached me to sign for them for the 2020/2021 NFPL season. So, I signed with them for the upcoming season and shortly moved my life to Lansing, Michigan. I moved in the beginning of November. However, in December of 2021, the pandemic had other ideas, and the 2020/21 NFPL season was also cancelled due to the pandemic and lack of funding. So, from the time I dropped out of college to play futsal, had been almost 2 years. And despite playing for 2 different teams in the league, I had yet to play a game in the league. So, in June of 2021, I moved back to Cincinnati to be closer to family but also to help start a professional team here in the city to compete in the NFPL. Creating what is now, Ginga FS (futbol sala), competing in the NFPL for the 2021/22 season. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some parts of my journey have been smooth but some parts have not as well. Of course, getting to train and play the game you love with all your teammates is a dream. But with the pandemic being a big factor, it not allowing the league to play for 2 seasons, it led to lots of hard times, being almost in limbo, just waiting for what is going to happen. Another struggle would be my bodies health. Since playing futsal full-time, my ankle’s health has been a struggle to keep 100%. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional futsal player here in Cincinnati, playing for Ginga FS, in the National Futsal Premier League (NFPL). 

I am most proud of the formation of Ginga FS, a new team in the league this year. We are 9 games into the 2021/22 season and we are doing well, giving the city another sports team to be proud of. 

I think what sets me apart is my full dedication to the advancement of this sport on its own in the United States. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Come out to our last home game of the season on April 8th at 8 pm!!! 

Address: 

6630 Hamilton Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45224 

Tickets are $5 a person! 

Pricing:

• $5 a ticket

Contact Info:

• Email: erik.hegerty@gmail.com
• Instagram: @erikhegerty
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikhegerty
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ErikHegerty

Image Credits
Nathan Peppers