What is Futsal?
Futsal
Futsal is FIFA's official indoor soccer game. It is small sided (5 vs. 5), played on a smaller pitch (roughly basketball court sized) and with a smaller ball. The game is played on a flat indoor pitch with 2m height x 3m weidth (6.5'x10') goals and a size 4 ball with reduced bounce. The Game favors ball control and quick decision making. Futsal is normally played on an indoor court with a smaller, low-bounce ball. Unlimited substitutions are allowed, as players consistently are running on and off the court.
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 generic 11-a-side full pitch 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 Positions:
In Futsal, there are 4 positions, Goalkeeper, Fixo (Defender), Alas (Wingers) and Pivot (forward). You can learn more in detail about the Futsal on the following video from the Senda Team:
Why Futsal?
Many famous soccer players got their start playing Futsal, as it taught them early on about the necessary skills to succeed on the big stage. Some of the current players who got their start playing Futsal include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Christian Pulisic and many more.
Here you have 5 reasons why you SHOULD PLAY Futsal.
1. Adaptability
Futsal can be played on any hard surface, indoors and outdoors. All you need is a ball and shoes. It is also the perfect complement to soccer. Almost any soccer tactical session can be adapted to be played on a futsal court. It is ideal for training concepts on the “micro” level before bringing it to the big field.
Futsal’s fast-paced and continuous nature helps to improve a player’s spatial intelligence and ability to learn to read the game.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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!
Senda in Futsal
Senda specializes in making TOP QUALITY Fair Trade Futsal Balls, we are the official ball of US Youth Futsal, which is the largest youth futsal league with more than 50k members.
Click here to check out Senda's Futsal Collection
We also work with local academies that are working on developing the next Futsal stars in the country, we called them Senda Spotlights.
Futsal Quotes:
"Futsal really improved my technical ability and my ability to work in tight spaces," -Christian Pulisic
“My technique comes from Futsal – It’s so much fun and impossible not to improve” -Marta Vieira da Silva
“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”. -Lionel Messi
"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”. -Xavi Hernandez
“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” - Ronaldinho Gaucho
Keep the ball rolling & see you in the Futsal Court...
