The Game: What Is Futsal?
Futsal is a variant of soccer played on a hard court slightly larger than a basketball court. It is mainly played indoors, but it can also be played outdoors. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper with a smaller, heavier, low-bounce ball. Unlimited substitutions are permitted.
Futsal is recognized by FIFA as the official indoor soccer game, played with touchlines as boundaries and no use of walls or boards. It is played at a faster pace than soccer, allowing players to get more touches than a regular game. There are no offsides and Futsal games are generally higher scoring than regular soccer, making the game more exciting to play. Futsal is played in all the continents of the world by over 100 countries with 12 million players.
Why Futsal?
Speed of Play
The small space requires players to not only play quicker but also to make faster decisions. In futsal, you only have a split second to decide what to do with the ball before you are put under high pressure.
Creativity
Perhaps the single most important reason to play futsal is that it encourages players to be creative and think out of the box. Because the court is smaller and you get so much more touches on the ball, players try things that they would never risk doing on the soccer field. Remember Ronaldinho’s toe-poke goal in the semi-finals of the 2006 Champions League? We have his futsal roots to thank for that one!
Ball Skills and Control
According to Dr. Emilio Miranda from Sao Paolo University, a futsal player will have 600% more touches on the ball than a soccer player. This inherently helps players master their touch on the ball and will give players confidence to hold on to the ball more and take players on 1v1.
Pros Who Have Grown Through Futsal
Christian Pulisic
“Futsal really improved my technical ability and my ability to work in tight spaces.”
Marta Vieira da Silva
“My technique comes from Futsal – It’s so much fun and impossible not to improve.”
Lionel Messi
“As a little boy in Argentina, I played futsal on the streets and for my club…it really helped me become who I am today.”
xavi Hernandez
“Perhaps in regular football, you cannot appreciate the talent. Everything is more physical. But in futsal, you have small details of quality, class and tactical aspects.”
Ronaldinho Gaucho
“A lot of the moves I make originate from futsal… It’s played in a very small space and the ball control is different [to regular soccer]…to this day, my ball control is pretty similar to a futsal player’s control.”
Senda in Futsal
We are the official ball partner of U.S. Youth Futsal, a US Soccer member, is the largest and fastest-growing futsal organization in the United States, overseeing more than 100 local leagues in 30 states across the country.
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