Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced small sided soccer game that is played across the world and is officially recognized by both FIFA and UEFA.
Futsal earned the status of FIFA’s official form of indoor soccer in the 1980s as it was recognized as a scaled-down version of outdoor soccer played indoors. It is a 5 v 5 small-sided game played on a hard surfaced, basketball sized court with a smaller, low bounce ball. Futsal is played with touchline boundaries and without walls.
Futsal places a large emphasis on technical skills in high-pressure situations which can be translated into the outdoor game. The sport is a great skill developer as it demands quick reflexes, fast-thinking, and pin-point passing.
Futsal is played in all the continents of the world by over 100 countries with 12 million players. Great soccer superstars such as Pele, Zico, Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka, and Katia grew up playing the game and credit futsal with developing their skills.
The priority in Futsal is to motivate players in an environment that is conducive to learning. The more pleasure kids derive from their participation, the more they wish to play and practice on their own. While their instinct to play is natural, their affection and appreciation for soccer must be cultivated. Futsal is the foundation to such goals because it:
In 2019, Lucas Marques, our Director of Goalkeeping, and Coach John Lawrence formed a Futsal Club called Academia Central de Futsal. In their first year, they had a team that went all the way to Nationals. Over 100 kids from various outdoor soccer clubs around the Columbus area participate and we highly recommend them as a winter season option for our soccer players.