Futsal is an exciting and fast paced indoor sport which is played across the world and is recognised by FIFA and the AFC. It is a 5v5 small sided game, played with a smaller, low-bounce futsal ball and on hard surfaces with touchlines. It is a great sport to develop skills as it demands quick thinking and reflexes, creative dribbling and accurate passing of the ball. The players quickly learn to be creative on the pitch. Futsal is credited by many of the world-class footballers for developing their football skills in their early years.
The origin of Futsal goes back to 1930 in Uruguay, where football rules were modified to give its participants a chance to play the game in their own space, and on their own terms. The first recorded rules of futsal were a mixture of rules from football, basketball, handball, and water polo. Over the years, the sport has developed, the rules have been defined, and has spread widely over 170 countries.
Key differences between Futsal and 5v5 football -
| Futsal | Football |
|---|---|
| Played with a Futsal ball | Played with a football |
| The surface must be a hard court | The surface can be hard or soft |
| The goal size is 3m x 2m | Goal sizes could vary |
| Limit to fouls. Penalties after 5th foul | No limit to fouls |
| Stopping Clock. Clock stops when ball is out of play. | Running Clock. Clock does not stop when ball is out of play. |
| Time-Outs allowed | No timeouts |
India has the potential to become a talent hub for Futsal. A proper pathway from Grassroots Futsal to National teams of Futsal is being designed by the AIFF.
Taking the first steps towards the development of sport in India, AIFF introduced Futsal Coach Education courses in 2018. The AFC Futsal Coaching Courses are of three levels
Futsal has been introduced in the 'E Certificate Course' for coaches which is focused on the education of Grassroots football coaches.
Futsal is also promoted in the Blue Cubs Leagues - a project targeted at children between the age of U6-U12 years which essentially forms the golden or the most impressionable age of learning and developing talent
AIFF has proposed to conduct a National Futsal Club Championship in 2020.
Due to the similarities between football and futsal, they are largely governed by the same institutions.
For FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game, click here
FIFA took the sport under its umbrella by conducting in 1989, the First World Championship in the Netherlands, providing a massive platform to futsal players. Simultaneously, more Futsal tournaments followed which are hosted by renowned institutions such as IOC, contributing to the well-deserved visibility and development of the sport. The Asian Football Confederation conducts four Futsal tournaments in Asia.
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