Futsal and our Player Development Plans

Futsal originated from South America and dates back as far as the 1930’s It is now played globally and is recognised as the official small sided football format by both UEFA & FIFA The game is heavily dependent on technique & skill in a fast-paced environment and this transfers excellently into all formats of football Futsal has been a great breeding ground for an abundance of past & present world class footballers, with the likes of Pele, Ronaldinho & Messi citing this as being pivotal in their football development, with European players such as Ronaldo & Xavi also paying tribute to this in their footballing education

The English FA have supported the introduction of Futsal in England since 2003 and from a slow start-up this is growing as the FA promote increased understanding & awareness through schools & young people The Men’s Senior national team competes in the FIFA Futsal World Cup & UEFA Euro Futsal Championships A National Futsal League was established in 2008 and now consists of 3 regional divisions (comprising 8 teams in each) that contest for a National Futsal title & FA Futsal Cup In addition, male & female teams compete in the British Universities & Colleges Futsal Championships 2007 saw the FA National Youth Futsal Festival started and girls & boys from play regional festivals culminating in the National Futsal Festival

Typically the game is played indoors (although this is not essential) and is not suitable for playing on grass as it would slow down the pace of the game Sidelines are marked out, with the minimum pitch size being 25m x 15m. When the ball goes out, play is restarted with a kick-in The ball used is smaller and slightly heavier than a normal football, this is allowed to travel over head height A roll-on roll-off substitution rule is in place Goalkeepers must throw the ball out and there are no back passes

Futsal develops the skills & technique of players, which not only equips them well to play Futsal as a stand-alone game but additionally benefits players for all other football formats Greater speed, balance & agility are encouraged due to the quick nature of the game This in turn promotes familiarity with the ball for all players which results in comfort when in possession and calls on passing, twisting, turning, dribbling and shooting skills Futsal by its very nature asks the player to be multi-positional and requires them to be in numerous different areas in the course of one game Limited pitch space means constant opposition interaction and calls on creativity from players This is an additional & FUN part of the players footballing education

Here at IVR we are open to new forms of training & football formats for our players & coaches, as these will optimise the learning of everyone we have at the club The coming 2013/14 season will see the Ipswich & Suffolk Youth League bringing Futsal into their season at ages 8&9 We are keen to build this into the training of all ages for both boys & girls over the coming season Watch the website, Facebook & Twitter for exciting news of how this will be launched very soon !!