Spence Middle School futsal team rallies around family member battling cancer

Often, sports can carry a bigger purpose than what happens on the court or field.

That’s the case this year when Spence Coach Scott Brothers’ futsal team dedicated its Disney Scholastic Futsal Tournament to his wife Diana, who is battling breast cancer.

To show their support for Diana Brothers, the sixth-grade girls wore pink socks with their uniforms. And they won the futsal tournament in early March, going 4-0. Futsal is a modified form of soccer played with five players per side on a smaller indoor field.

https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2018/03/19/two-dallas-isd-teams-heading-to-futsal-championships-this-summer/

Many of these girls will be going to North Dallas in a few years, and some already have old brothers or sister and cousins at North Dallas.

Coach Brothers said Diana had her first chemo treatment on the Friday before the tournament in early March and was not able to attend the team’s first three games because of weakness and being sick from the treatment. But through text messaging, she stayed up-to-date on the girls’ progress in the tournament.

When Diana found out that the girls were in the championship game, she had her sister pick her up at the house and take her to the game. Coach Brothers said she wanted to be there because she wanted to support them as well.

Not only did the girls visibly show their support, they excelled on the court and finished 4-0 in the Disney Futsal tournament. They dominated their opponents by scores 15-0, 13-0, and 9-0, and then won the championship game 9-1.

With the championship, the sixth-graders qualified for the AAU World Futsal Championships in late July at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, Coach Brothers said. The Spence girls will play teams from all over the world.

Coach Brothers said that Dallas ISD does not provide funding for these young futsal student-athletes to go on the trip. So, now Coach Brothers and the group is counting on fundraisers and donations to make this trip to the World Cup happen. The goal is to raise $10,000 dollars by July, Coach Brothers said, and they are working on a few fundraisers.

“She [Diana] is so excited about the trip to Disney,” Coach Brothers said, “and that the softball team, whom dedicated their season to her as well, is 5-0 and playing for a District championship title tonight. This is all helping her stay strong and keep her from being depressed.”

People can donate to the Futsal team here.