Despite immense popularity in many other countries, futsal is a sport that holds a minority share of the English sporting market. In fact, the mere mention of the sport is often met with confusion.
Born in Uruguay in the 1930s, its name combines the Spanish words for ‘indoor’ and ‘football’.
During two 20 minute halves, two teams of five go toe to toe in a battle of quick feet, fluid rotations and space creation. A hard court surface and small, weighted ball demands a very different technique to its 11-a-sided, outdoor cousin. Futsal is high intensity and high impact.
Frequent use of the sole of the foot to control the ball is a distinctive feature of futsal games and allows a player to make the most of the tight spaces in which they operate. One will also notice a high volume of scooped passes down the line and quickfire ‘toe-punt’ shots at goal. These are unique and fundamental tools that cater to the tight dimensions, and happen to be very aesthetically pleasing.
Futsal has been instrumental in the journey of numerous world class footballers. In the 2018 Amazon Prime docu-series ‘Six Dreams’, which follows a number of La Liga clubs and players throughout a season, Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez meets Portuguese futsal legend, Ricardinho. Despite being of far higher profile, Saul is in awe and treats him like a hero. This demonstrates the esteem in which futsal is held by other nations.
The Merseyside Connection
Although Liverpool has football woven into its DNA, in recent years, futsal has begun to sprinkle its own magic on the city’s two beloved clubs.
Richarlison Andrade lit up Goodison Park for four seasons, whilst Philippe Coutinho and Thiago Alcantara are two of the most technically gifted players Anfield has seen in the last decade. All three, like many Latin footballers, learnt their trade on the futsal court.
Coutinho’s rapid changes of direction when dribbling and Thiago’s stud rolls upon receiving the ball are symptomatic of a futsal education. During an interview with UEFA in 2020, Coutinho revealed that he played until the age of 13 and based all of his football learning on futsal. He also spoke of his friendship with and support of Barcelona futsal stars, Marcenio and Ferrao.
Futsal Must Carve its Own Path
However, rather than simply developing transferable skills for footballers, futsal must stand on its own two feet. The ECHO has previously written of its marginalisation by the FA in 2020, when pandemic-based budget cuts led to the removal of all funding for England’s elite national futsal teams.
Nonetheless, the future still holds promise. In 2021 BT Sport signed a three-year deal to show coverage of both the National Futsal Series Men’s Tier One, and Women’s Super Series. This is a recognition of the sport’s potential and has provided invaluable exposure for the NFS during the 2021/22 season.
Stuart Cook currently plays for Bolton Futsal Club in NFS Tier One and earnt 80 caps for England. After attending an FA training camp in 2009, he went on to start two games against Israel, “I just fell in love with how much of the ball you got and how expressive you could be on court”.
He hasn’t stopped playing since.
Although he feels futsal’s future in England rests on a knife edge, he commends the efforts of the NFS and its clubs to kick the sport on in the absence of national funding. Importantly, he has confidence that with the support of major players like BT Sport to grow and sustain the leagues, there remains a chance of national pathways reopening for both men and women.
In terms of the gap between the sport’s reputation domestically and abroad, Cook cites the fact that the English pyramid has 10 levels that offer payment to play football. In countries where there are only three or four such levels, alternative pathways such as futsal become far more viable. Naturally, this leads to the player pool and standard increasing with time.
For the same to occur in England, futsal will need to become an attractive option for footballers at Tiers 5, 6 and below. Having played at steps 3 and 4, as well as the Welsh Premier, Cook has experienced this transition himself. Commercial opportunities like the BT Sport deal, paired with strong grassroots development pathways, will build a futsal framework that warrants the necessary financial investment. Only then can young English players begin to dream of representing their country on the futsal court like Cook has.
The Futsal Scene in Liverpool
Liverpool is already playing a key role in the achievement of this goal.
At a junior level, there is high quality and affordable coaching available through Project Futsal, a development centre that provides futsal sessions to children aged 5-16 years old. Joe Ryan is one of PF’s co-founders, and in partnership with the University of Liverpool, he has helped to inspire a new generation of futsal players on Merseyside, all trained in the arts of sole control, feinting and scoops down the line.
Project Futsal aims to enhance the reputation of the sport and provide as many opportunities as possible for its participants at junior, university and national levels in the long term.
Joe believes that futsal brings enormous technical benefits, as the pace of the game and heavier ball allows for a greater volume and variety of touches. It also encourages players to be braver in 1v1 situations, something English football stereotypically lacks.
Psychologically, futsal’s intensity teaches players to manage their emotions,
Joe says: “In a game that is so quick and full of multiple decisions, young players learn that they can’t dwell on their previous mistakes”.
A fear-free environment develops confident players who try new things and embrace failure.
Moving upwards, the city boasts a strong college scene. All four universities have futsal clubs competing across the BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) divisions. Notably, the University of Liverpool first team will be in the Northern 1A division for the 2022/23 season after gaining promotion as league winners in 2021/22. This success has earned the club performance status at the University, granting them access to facilities such as a strength and conditioning gym, physiotherapy sessions and masterclasses in sports psychology and nutrition.
Both of these development pathways will contribute to raising the standard of senior futsal in the region. Players will have quality futsal experience by the time they are young adults, as opposed to relying solely on football techniques to play the game.
The University of Liverpool has already passed a couple of its players onto Bolton Futsal Club and Liverpool Futsal Club (of NFS Tier 2). Joe coaches both Bolton and the University of Liverpool, while Liverpool Futsal’s David Connor has previously coached the University of Chester, and this season starts at John Moores. Connections of this kind in other parts of the country will ensure that in spite of the FA’s elite funding cuts, the top tiers of English futsal are continually supplied with talented and driven players, as well as coaches.
Through increasing popularity and progression at junior, college and senior levels, futsal is building a strong platform in Merseyside and providing a blueprint for success.
To further excitement, the Pokemon Futsal Youth Cup is a national competition that allows boys and girls from under 10 to under 16 level to access the game. Last season saw over 900 teams compete nationwide, with 51 teams alone coming from the Liverpool FA. This season, the Cup has been endorsed by Clive Tyldesley, one of the most iconic broadcasters in European football. As he commentates over footage of the 2021/22 finals day, the voice of England’s football team makes clear that futsal is not a freestyle show of excessive flicks and tricks, but a test of decision making, ball movement and speed. The sheer volume of participation in this tournament reinforces the value of commercial support in raising futsal’s profile in this country, and securing its future.
Hopes and Expectations…
Globally, it is undeniable that futsal is adored by those who play it. In Iran, for example, futsal is embedded in the sporting culture. In 2018, former national team coach Hossein Shams revealed that over 16 million people play futsal, 8 million of those being in school alone. This has paid dividends at the elite level, with the Iranian national team ranking 6th in the world as of July 2022.
Shift your gaze to Thailand and crowds of 12,000 people are standard for national team games. TV viewership has been over 5 million at its peak and at grassroots level, there are more than 1,000 futsal courts across 70 provinces.
Fortunately, the futsal community is a tight-knit one, full of people who want to support each other and help it grow. Such interconnectedness means the grassroots game is far closer to the elite level than in many other sports, especially football. This leads to greater access and opportunity for those who are new to the game or trying to climb its ranks.
The BT Sport deal represents an opportunity to place futsal in the shop window for the masses, and with the structure and support of sprouting amateur scenes such as Liverpool’s, as well as the backing of global brands like Pokemon, it is entirely possible that futsal can increase its share of the English sporting market and enter the mainstream.
Until now, English futsal has been powered by the dedication of passionate individuals in the face of adversity. But eventually, as more obstacles are overcome and new audiences are reached, futsal’s speed, intensity and individuality will begin to speak for itself. England may be a little late to the party, but better late than never.
