WHAT IS FUTSAL
F5 has launched an initiative #whatisFUTSAL & have pledged to provide 10 free coaching sessions as a futsal resource to new futsal clubs and football clubs looking to run futsal sessions. As the game grows in Scotland we feel it’s vital that those engaging with the sport have an understanding of futsal and F5 will endeavor to play a role in this. Our free sessions will help coaches gain an understanding of the game of futsal to add futsal content to their sessions.
Benefits of futsal (from UEFA)
Venue, Equipment & Rules (from UEFA)
SFA court size guidance (see below graphic)
What the stars say ( graphic from UEFA)
Download the UEFA Futsal Coaching Manual here
Ben Yedder Follows Neymar, Ronaldinho and More as Product of the Futsal Factory – by Peter Hall
Meet the new Premier League player with 25 England caps … at futsal
The F5 #whatisFUTSAL initiative
UEFA describes futsal as ‘Futsal is a collaborative/adversarial team game in which players are required to adapt to a changing, dynamic environment; one in which they have a restricted amount of time and space in which to make decisions and carry out actions that will provide solutions for their team. Futsal entails a high level of motor engagement and intense practice, with the tactical aspects (in terms of perception and decision-making) crucial to the effectiveness of each element of play’.
‘Futsal requires a high rate of active participation and motor engagement on the part of the players, which makes it an excellent means of developing skills among children. It enables them to stay constantly involved in the game – directly or indirectly – and build up the amount of time they spend engaged in useful practice (or intense practice), which is why the sport is also regarded as an excellent training tool for football’.
‘Futsal is a highly tactical team sport that is based on teamwork and opposition, and involves social and motor skills. Futsal is a dynamic and intense sport that involves teamwork and opposition, with a restricted amount of time and space available to execute the various elements of play, which is why awareness and decision-making (tactics) are more important than other factors’.
‘Futsal is a highly tactical sport and one which has a significant cognitive component. It relies in turn on physical and technical aspects for the execution of elements of play. The most decisive technical skills are ball control and passing, which have a direct impact on the socialisation aspects of the game, as well as shooting, given the high number of finishing options that occur during a match’.
‘One of the sport’s main features is speed/accuracy, as the restricted time and space available means that all the phases involved in the element of play (awareness, decision-making and execution) must be performed in accordance with the speed of the game and must also be conducted with the necessary accuracy in order to be effective’.
‘As far as physical aspects are concerned, futsal is a sport characterised by short- and mediumterm bursts of intense effort. It is a game where the rules allow for rest periods for players, where the shortage of time and space create moments of maximum intensity, where strength and speed endurance work are crucial to maintaining a high tempo, and where appropriate physical preparation is essential if players are to adequately recover from the constant effort they have to put in’.
‘Futsal involves attacking situations (when one has possession of the ball) and defensive situations (when one does not), and the switch from one to the other can probably be regarded as the most important aspect of the game. This is the part of the game in which the most dangerous situations and goal-scoring opportunities arise, resulting from a momentary lack of defensive organisation and the fact that rational occupation of space is often lacking as a result of the sudden change in the objective of play. These situations are known as transitions (attacking and defensive)’.
‘The main objective in defence is to regain possession of the ball. The position in which this takes place is also important. To this end, teams will defend a certain space with the aim of making life difficult for their opponents as soon as possession is regained’.
‘The main objective in attack is to score a goal. The best way to achieve this is to engage in an attacking transition, which is what makes the game so dynamic. Faced with organised and well positioned defences, teams have to build their attacks; this can either take an elaborate or more direct form’.
‘Players can be categorised according to the positions they occupy on the court, namely the goalkeeper, defender, wingers, and pivot. Some players can adapt to various positions on the court (all-round players), while others are specialists: pivots, with specific attributes and aptitudes; players who are particularly adept in 1v1 situations; players with specific technical skills or outstanding physical abilities, etc’.
F5 mission
It’s clear to us that futsal is not football. It is a sport in its own right requiring its own skillset. In our view this has to be the starting point for your approach to futsal. Understand the game on its own merits, as a game played as a game with the challenges it brings to a player and use this as the mechanism for player development. It’s not a gimmick or a tool nor can it be understood without committing to the finding the very essence of what FUTSAL is.
Develop Futsal, for Futsals sake….
F5 has been involved in futsal for over 25 years from establishing leagues (both regional & national), playing, coaching, coach education, developing fit-for-purpose futsal regulations, league & tournament administration…you name it. Our staff hold internationally recognised qualifications and have vast experience in the game drawn from futsal in Scotland, UEFA competition, managing National Team campaigns and participation (as players and coaches) in international tournaments. We are passionate about the sport and its development. Our pledge to offer 10 free sessions is our way (the F5 way) of facilitating the growth of the game in Scotland (and beyond). We sincerely hope you will consider working with F5 as futsal is our passion, our life and we firmly believe we can help you on your journey.