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:

• Allows players to frequently touch the ball.
• Encourages regaining possession of the ball as a productive, fun and rewarding part of the game.
• Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom.
• Gives quality reps and decision making on/off the ball.
• Strong emphasis on creativity on and off the ball and technique.
• Reflects the philosophy of player development expressed in state and national coaching schools.
• Learn how to defend and attack 1v1 and in small groups, which increases technical and tactical speed.
• Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often.
• Makes players comfortable on the ball in all situations on the field in outdoor soccer.
• Enables players to make early decisions before receiving the ball so faster speed of play and vision.
• Futsal rewards the same basic tactics and knowledge of the game as outdoor soccer.
• The current best players in the world, such as Messi, Ronaldo, Hazard, Neymar, Mbappe, and many others, credit futsal as the reason they developed into the player they are today.

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.