Is Futsal the way forward?

Recently a friend introduced me to a hidden Spanish/Portugese gem. It's called Futsal. Futsal is a 5 a side game (with one goalkeeper) which is played on a small indoor hard court surface and really emphasises on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces. Some of the best traits that the Spanish are known for.

I Spain they have been playing Futsal for years with their youth academies. So could England benefit from Futsal? I think so. Always England fans watch Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Argentina and think "How come we are so far behind these teams in terms of quality?". Well it's because teams like Spain have had games like Futsal for years and their youngsters have become used to playing in tight situations and being calm, composed, wise in these sort of situations. When England seem to get the ball like they did against the Italians they could never seem to use it well due to lack of composure and ability. Although Futsal is a rapidly growing in England with more and more clubs supporting Futsal. As it stands England are not in the top 25 teams for Futsal in the world with teams such as Iran, Libya, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan all above us.

The growth in Futsal in the UK though is getting better. Infact During the 1990s the first few futsal teams started to emerge in England and even then they had to travel abroad to play. So it's a relatively new way of playing football in England. In October 2002, the first international tournament in England was held in Chester, the British Isles Nations Futsal Cup which was held by Tranmere Victoria. Tranmere Victoria won the tournament and as a result were later chosen by the FA to be the first team to represent England in the UEFA Futsal Cup. The future of futsal in England was discussed and the FIFA representative stated that they would support the FA in developing the refereeing and coaching programmes necessary for the development of the game in England. So if playing Futsal isn't your thing then why not give refereeing/coaching a go?


Futsal is not just for youngsters mind you. Nearly any any is free to play Futsal and it is also a great way of keeping fit and doing a little bit of exercise on an evening.

So in answer to the title of this blog "Is Futsal the way forward?" then I think most players, coaches and clubs will tell you that it definitely is.

By the way the picture to the right is a Futsal pitch in Japan.


For those of you who would like to get involved. Look online!!!
Many schools/sport centres host Futsal tournaments so just get up and join in.