What is Futsal?

The term is an abbreviation of the Portuguese "futebol de salão" or the Spanish "fútbol sala", both of which mean "indoor soccer".

It is a scaled down version of conventional soccer and it is played by two teams of five players each, including a goalkeeper on each side. It is played on basketball-sized courts, on a variety of surfaces both indoors and outdoors. The game does not require the use of expensive dasher boards, but has instead the normal touchline boundaries with no wall to smash the ball (and the bodies) against. The ball is a smaller size (size 3 or 4), heavier and has a dampened bounce.

Futsal is the official five-a-side indoor soccer game and the only indoor soccer recognized by FIFA.

Futsal is slated to become an Olympic sport in 2008, which will create added interest and deeper growth.

How is Futsal different from classic soccer?

The rules of the game are similar to classic soccer with certain modifications to allow for the reduced space.

Here is brief comparison of Futsal and soccer rules:

How is Futsal better than walled soccer?

"Wall skills", which account for a very high percentage of touches in a game are of questionable value, as they can not be transferred into outdoor soccer.

In walled soccer you deal with an opponent having to take into account phantom players (i.e. walls). You can not drive an opponent to the sidelines to break up an attack, you can not let a long ball go out of bounds without worrying about the consequences, defenders and goalkeepers can not concentrate on the proper shot blocking angles.

In Futsal there is no sidewall to save you if your team-mate has not taken the right position to support you, you can not use the wall to save errant passes.

Walled soccer supporters base their arguments almost entirely on two points: The use of sidewalls to improve give-and-go passing and the increased speed and continuous play. There are a lot of give-and-go situations in Futsal too, which simulate closer the actual conditions in a game. Sidewalls are stationary, real players are not. The player with the ball has to have the skills to pass to a running team-mate who also has to learn how, where and when to move to support you.

But, the biggest disadvantage is that it does not help create soccer intelligence. For example, if a player is near the touchline, instead of working out what to do, whether to pass to a team-mate, to dribble or to shield the ball he has an easy option: the wall!

But this is not real soccer.

In Futsal you need to make decisions so fast that when you move into the outdoor soccer you feel very comfortable in finding new angles and passing the ball.

This is real soccer!

As for speed, many people do not realize that there are walls in most Futsal centres a few feet away from the touchlines. Errant balls rebound quickly back to a player who has to put the ball into play within 4 seconds. So, you can have the best of both worlds, the speed and continuity of walled soccer together with the superb skills of Futsal.

In Futsal, control and technique offer you countless quality touches which directly translate to the outdoor game. You learn to work with your team-mates who must must be there to support you, you learn the feinting skills to beat an opponent instead of relying on a wall, you learn how to shoot accurately and at the right time because errant shots result in the opponents getting the ball.

Futsal is clearly a superior, faster and safer way of developing real soccer skills.

How is Futsal safer?

Playing walled soccer presents a real danger to players, especially children. Players have to pin their body against the boards to get past a defender or to stop an opponent from advancing. The speed of play is such that players may run into the boards at top speed.

You get none of these with Futsal. Futsal is a sport whose rules provide the conditions for fair play and do not permit any excessive physical contact. Sliding tackles, shoulder charges and other rough aspects of soccer are not allowed in Futsal. Violence which has plagued soccer for decades is virtually non existent in Futsal. This is one of the main reasons why the game is loved by so many people and mothers in particular, who don't have to worry about injuries and fights.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has adopted Futsal to replace the sidewalls style game because of "the phenomenal rate of injuries experienced in the dasher board game".

How did soccer superstars learn soccer?

The greatest players of the last century sharpened their skills on the south east Brazilian beaches, in the streets of Dutch cities, in the parks of English towns, in Argentinean playgrounds, and the context has always been the same: Small sided games. These players never played organized soccer until they were discovered and were signed up for teams.

The greatest European player ever, Johan Cruyff developed his silky smooth skills playing in the streets of Amsterdam. In fact, his mother and stepfather had trouble keeping up with the rate young Johan ruined his shoes.

"My father got upset, and he punished me sometimes, up to the day they decided to buy me a pair of tough football shoes. They took off their studs and they put something underneath. As they did not break, I could use them for everything."

The vast majority of Brazilian professional players have learnt soccer through Futsal they play on every imaginable surface, from the softest of beach sands to the hardest concrete surface.

Diego Maradona, probably the second best South American player after Pele and an idol for million of funs throughout the world describes in his autobiography how he developed his skills:

"... and we'd leave the house at two with my friend, El Negro, my cousin Beto or whoever, and by quarter past two we were giving it all we've got under the midday sun! We just didn't care and we'd run ourselves into the ground."

The 1970 world cup hero Rivelino in his autobiography, Get Out of the Street, Roberto is unequivocal:

"The street formed me as a man and as a footballer."

More recently Rivaldo who has had an extremely successful career as a top professional player overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, acquired his skills, but also strength of character on the beaches of north east Brazil. His daily routine was selling souvenirs to tourists in the mornings and playing soccer with his friends all afternoon.

All these players succeeded because they totally immersed themselves in short sided soccer games which allowed them to develop spatial reasoning, strategic thinking and acting proactive in order to create learning opportunities, and not just physical skills as many people think.

They learnt soccer:

• In small groups
• At a level matching their capabilities
• Without following coaches' instructions
• Enjoying themselves and in step with their own wishes

Total immersion allowed the harmonious development of Body-Spirit-Mind qualities and not just the superficial acquisition of physical soccer skills.

Today, the physical requirements of modern soccer are higher, but this can be developed and usually is the only area that coaches pay attention to. The high levels of intellectual abilities such as creativity, judgment, intuition as well as emotions control and temperament which are vital to the success of a player are usually neglected in the apparent belief that soccer success depends on body training.

Nothing further from the truth! Soccer begins and ends in the mind.

It is unfortunate that the western mind in its quest for analytical rational thinking has dissected the human being and has kept only the physical components.

How does Futsal promote better skills?

Futsal is ideal for developing a player's technical and tactical skills.

Intelligence
Soccer is a very complex game. If we analyze every single game of its entire recorded history, we will not find two absolutely identical situations. Futsal is a totally fluid game with very few preplanned situations, which means a player has to improvise in order to meet constantly changing circumstances. Futsal is the ideal medium to develop soccer intelligence.

Technical proficiency
Futsal emphasizes skill rather than crude physical power. The smaller and heavier ball is a great instrument in promoting individual technical development. The number of ball touches a player gets is much greater than in conventional soccer, allowing the player to develop faster and more refined foot skills. One touch receiving and passing are used in wall passes and rotations and these certainly translate into success in the classic outdoor game.

Total soccer
The small numbers of players in a Futsal team makes it crucial for all players to defend and attack. There are not predefined positions which players stick to and get to develop typical defensive or attacking player mentalities.

This helps players become familiar with all positions in accordance with modern soccer requirements and creates the opportunity to solve lots of tactical problems under more pressure. Players learn not to relax and coast because the game is in constant transition with teams winning and losing the ball all the time.

Speed of play
Modern soccer is characterized by its fast pace. In Futsal, because of the tight space, the ball has to move faster between players' feet, helping players develop individual and team speed of play. This in turn forces players to make quicker technical and tactical decisions and gives them more confidence which they can apply to the outdoor game.

Fun
Futsal is fast paced and exciting, with players moving all the time instead of sitting back and waiting for the ball. With the pitch being so small there are often high scores with many different players getting the chance to score goals.

Goalkeeper development
Goalkeepers have to be active participants and not be glued to their goal line. They learn to move with the ball, to keep in line with the ball and play particular attention to angles. they also learn how to actively participate in an attack as a fifth player.

How popular is Futsal?

Futsal can be considered the most rapidly growing indoor sport. It is already played around the world by over 30 million people of both sexes in at least 100 countries.

Every day more and more federations, associations, academies, schools and clubs are discovering its excitement and learning value.

• In Italy, according to the Italian Olympic Committee, over 4 million play it, compared to the 1 million that play 11-a-side soccer.
• In Russia, the number of players is 3,500,000.
• In Japan, the supply of Futsal facilities can not keep up with demand. They believe it is the best form of soccer for the inner city.
• In England, Futsal academies are mushrooming all over the country.
• In Portugal, it is the number one game in schools and universities.
• In the United States, a record number of 70,000 registered players are playing the game. There are Futsal associations in 42 states and the potential for growth is tremendous. At the 18th National Championship, July/2003, participation increased by 40% compared to the previous year.
• In Australia, Futsal has been developed very successfully for many years.
• In Asia, Iran is the biggest force outside Europe and America, although the game is rapidly gaining popularity in the Far East countries. The Tiger 5's has been a tremendous success in Singapore.

In most countries players are amateurs but many, including the USA, Brazil, Spain Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland and Russia have professional Futsal leagues.

A brief history of Futsal

Futsal has existed for a long time under various names such as: Five-a-Side, Street soccer, Indoor soccer, Mini soccer, Mini football. Futsal is the improved version of what almost all boys played in the streets of every European city.

In England a form of Futsal was played as English first division clubs pitted themselves against each other in "Six-a-Side" tournaments sponsored by the London Express newspaper in winter.

In the former Soviet Union a similar form of soccer was one of the most popular winter sports.

In the early 60's the Helder Indoor Soccer Organization (HZVO) was founded in Holland.

In Italy the game arrived in the 1950's and has been extremely popular since.

However, the origin of the modern game is attributed to South America, whichever of the two versions we would like to accept. One version claims that Juan Carlos Geriani devised a 5-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCAs in Montevideo, Uruguay in the 1930's and the other says that it started on the beaches of Brazil.

Whichever the truth, one thing is certain. The game was developed and gained its popularity in Brazil.

In 1954, all the States of Brazil agreed to common rules and in 1974, the international body FIFUSA (Federação Internationale de Futbebol de Salão) was established in São Paolo with its first president being João Havelange, later president of FIFA.

The first Futbebol de Salão international competition was held in 1965 when Paraguay won the first South American cup. Up to 1979, six more South American cups were held with Brazil winning all of them.

The 1st Pan-American cup was held in 1980 and again was dominated and won by Brazil.

The first World Championship conducted under the auspices of FIFUSA was held in São Paolo, Brazil, in 1982 with Brazil finishing yet again first.

The Brazilians were champions again in the 2nd World Championship in 1985 in Spain, but lost to Paraguay in 1988 in Australia.

In 1989 most of the countries were integrated into F.I.F.A., agreeing to combine all the variations of the small-sided soccer. F.I.F.A. split with FIFUSA, introduced a new set of rules and came up with a version of indoor soccer superior to the FIFUSA one. Futsal was born.

The 1st F.I.F.A. World Championship took place in Holland in 1989 and the 2nd in 1992 in Hong Kong, Brazil winning both times. The 3rd F.I.F.A. World Championship played in 1996 in Spain and was won by Brazil. The 4th F.I.F.A. World Championship took place in 2000 in Guatemala with the Spaniards being the winners. The 5th World Championship will be held in Taiwan in 2004.

In the United States various forms of the game had been in existence before the U.S Minisoccer Federation was formed in January 1983 and was affiliated with FIFUSA.

The current U.S. Futsal Federation (USFF) was created in January 1983, when the game was still known as Minisoccer, thus establishing a nationally organized promotion of the game.

The first international match in the U.S. was held in December, 1985 at Sanoma State University, in California where the U.S. select team defeated Australia , 9-5.

The first U.S. National Team took part in the 1984 Pan American Cup and has ever since participated in all FIFA Futsal World Championships.

The U.S. won the Bronze Medal behind champion Brazil and second place Holland in the 1st F.I.F.A. world championship played in Holland in January 1989.

In the 2nd World Championship in 1992, in Hong Kong the U.S. won the silver medal.

The U.S. has conducted a National Championship since 1985 and according to Alex Para, president and CEO of the U.S. Futsal, "Futsal is more popular than ever in the United States, and this period of unprecedented growth is remarkably exciting".