Explaining futsal

The penalty area: All players are allowed inside the area and goalkeepers are allowed out of it, if using their feet.

Restarts: If the ball goes out behind a goal, play restarts with a goalkeeper throw. The goalkeeper then cannot touch the ball again until they have crossed the halfway line or the opposition has touched it. If the ball goes out of play at the sidelines, play restarts with a kick-in, which must be taken within four seconds. This time limit also applies to free-kicks, corners and goal clearances.

Goalkeepers: Teams can play with a fly goalkeeper, which can be a traditional goalkeeper or an outfield player wearing a goalkeeper shirt - the idea being to have an extra player to maintain possession or create an attacking opportunity. The goalkeeper cannot be in possession of the ball for more than four seconds in their own half. All infringements of this rule result in an indirect free kick.

Goals: The dimensions are of the goals are 3m by 2m and are more akin to those used in handball - this makes them narrower than a football goal, which makes it harder to find corners and results in specific techniques used by futsal goalkeepers in a more upright position.

Other rules: Games are played to lines and not off walls, and the ball is allowed over head height, contrary to some people’s belief.

The Best Winter Training?

The benefits of futsal in the development of soccer players cannot be overstated, both for the sport of futsal in its own right and the development of those who play the full-sized game. Many football-playing children around the world also play futsal as a way of improving their abilities. 

If you live in a country where the winters are dark, wet and cold then futsal could be the answer to cancelled training sessions and matches.

By using futsal as part of your training curriculum, you could be providing your players with a brilliant opportunity to develop speed of thought and movement, as well as lots of 1v1 opportunities, both defending and attacking.

By playing on a small court with a more dense ball that stays closer to the ground and encourages players to find solutions in tight spaces, you will be creating an environment where players will get more touches, more dribbling opportunities, more shots, more saves, more and faster passing and more tackling opportunities than they have ever had before - and they will love you for it.

Futsal is now being used more and more in professional football clubs to aid in creative growth and it is no surprise that many of the players you see on the world’s biggest stage were born from Futsal roots.

Futsal is a sport that can be played in any hall, on any outdoor court and in any park on any surface. It was no surprise to me, on a coaching trip to Rio de Janeiro, to see children playing the sport in any space available to them - and it shouldn’t be any surprise that Brazil produce a series of technically gifted soccer players.

From its origins in Uruguay almost 100 years ago, to a sport now played by more than 10 million people in more than 100 countries, Futsal should be part of your regular yearly training plan.