Football in the Dominican Republic

Boys playing association football on a tournament in the Santo Domingo’s middle-class neighborhood of Altos de Arroyo Hondo.

The sport of football in the country of the Dominican Republic is run by the Federación Dominicana de Fútbol. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Liga Dominicana de Fútbol. In the Dominican Republic, baseball is the most popular sport, followed by basketball or association football, depending on the area in the Dominican Republic. Football is considered to be in constant growth since 2012. This sport was usually played from middle to high-class high school students, specially in urban areas like Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Moca and Jarabacoa, however, in the last few years, the sport has expanded and it is played mostly everywhere in the country. The fact that the sport was first played by wealthy children created an extreme commercialization on the sport, where most of the available football courts, where children are to master their skills, have to be rented, prices often range between 40 - 50 USD an hour, nonetheless, there are futsal courts available for free.

Nowadays, football can be as popular as basketball, as interest keeps growing, Dominicans are constantly waiting for their squad to bring a Gold Cup title to the country.

League system

References