6/15/09 - The Central American leg of the 2009 Futbolito Bimbo was held in Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.  Each country started with 72 school teams, 48 boys and 24 girls.  The boys were divided into groups playing the first phase with a round robin system. 16 teams advanced to the second round, where a single elimination format presided until a champion was crowned.  Each of the winners advanced to the Central American Finals.

The Futbolito Bimbo is a tournament with a long history, but this was the first year it was sanctioned by the Federacion International de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA).  Hector de la Vega Gonzalez served as first year coordinator of the event for McCann Momentum.

"This is a landmark event in the short history of FIFRA," said FIFRA President Sergio Del Rio. "Many nations all over the world are taking notice of us just as we are seeking out opportunities to grow arena soccer around the globe."

The collective winners from each country competed in the Central American tournament at Complejo Deportivo Tupal in San Salvador, El Salvador on June 5-7, The format was a round robin, with the championship going to the teams that accumulated the most points. Colegio Lamatepec of El Salvador won the boys championship and Costa Rica’s Escuela Central de Atenas won for the girls side. 

Young José Serrano from Lamatepec was the tournament leader with eight goals.

Colegio Lampatec and Escuela Central de Atenas advance to the North American Finals in Richland Hills, Texas.  The Finals will take place on July 3-4 at NYTEX Sports Centre.

The teams that competed in the Central American Finals:

Costa Rica : Boys Colegio La Salle.
                    Girls  Escuela Central de Atenas.

Honduras :   Boys Escuela J. F. Kennedy.
                    Girls Intercontinental School.

Guatemala :  Boys Colegio Bilingüe Campo Verde.
                     Girls Colegio Lehnsen.

El Salvador : Boys Colegio Lamatepec.
                     Girls Colegio Corazón de Maria.