TheFA.com: What are the main differences between 5-a-side football and Futsal.

Graeme Dell: The game isn’t fundamentally different but the Laws of The Game make it more skillful and faster flowing.

The main differences are that the ball is either in or out of play, dictated by the court markings so walls can’t be used and this adds to the skill level required. The ball can go over head height and players can go anywhere on the court, even in the goal areas, and it uses a ‘no bounce’ size 4 ball, whatever the age group.

Rolling substitutions ensure that the game maintains its speed and doesn’t slow as players become fatigued but it also allows greater participation numbers.

The goals are similar in size to those used in field hockey and the game is played on a court measuring 40m x 20m which is controlled by two referees so that everything is seen.

One of the most restricting laws is that each team can commit a maximum of 5 fouls in each half before any further fouls are punished by an unopposed 10m penalty kick which reduces the physical contact but contributes towards the excitement when fouls are committed.

At international level we play 20 minutes each way in real time so the clock stops when the ball goes out of play.

In general terms, the game has evolved to be spectator friendly but also to develop the skill level of the players. It’s fast, with end to end action whereby the result can hang by a thread until the very last second. It really is a fantastic game to play, watch and coach.

This is a brand new national team so where do you start to select the players from?

Well it’s a mammoth job, but one which I knew would test me and our overall knowledge of the game from the top right the way down to the grassroots level.

Having coached the national student team for over 5 years now I’ve got a wealth of knowledge of the non-league game, which is where those lads play most of their football.

Having also worked for the FA on the Excellence Programme in the mid 90’s most of the players who didn’t make it as pro’s have settled into the grassroots arena so we also know something about them.

With the introduction this year of the national futsal leagues, slowly these players will come to the forefront and it will be a lot easier to identify that talent. For the time being we are leading from the top and I am selecting players with the best physiological profiles for this fast moving game and we are then working with them to develop their futsal skills.

It’s really a case of getting to see as many games as we can at all levels and having the eye to spot a player with the right attributes. Almost every player I know plays a form of small sided football every week so you’d probably be amazed how many 11 a side clubs already play Futsal without knowing it!

So what attributes do you look for and is there a major difference from the 11-a-side player?

Fitness is absolutely key but so too is the technical skill base of the player. It’s important to have bright, quick thinking players who can function effectively even when they’re tired.

Of course the player needs a trick or two but it’s also as important to know where to use them in the game rather than just for effect. It’s a new game here in England and I want players who have a hunger to learn and develop their own skills and who will grasp this opportunity to develop into top level futsal players.

So what sets a Futsal player apart form a conventional 11-a-side player?

As I‘ve highlighted, the physiological demands are much greater because the bouts of energy exertion are more intense and with such a fast moving game there is nowhere on the court to hide in order to recover when you’re fatigued. Most players at the top level can only last 5-6 minutes of court time due to the intensity so to play international Futsal you need to be very fit with good aerobic and anaerobic thresholds.

I am not sure that there is a physical profile that you could adopt and at this early stage in our development we‘re not restricting our talent identification to body shapes!

Good ball control and a trick or two are essential but so too is the ability to understand the ‘team’ philosophy. In futsal it’s very much about what the four players without the ball do rather than the player with it, so brightness and speed of thought are essential characteristics.

Although the game is new to so many people here in England how much have you seen of it?

I’ve been very fortunate. Since I took an experimental FA team to Malaysia last year for the World 5’s and the subsequent development of the full England Team I have watched 25 or more national teams play, and in most cases train as well. Like the big game, Futsal at international level is substantially different to domestic it’s domestic equivalent and we can only learn by watching the top players and coaches work.

There has been much to review in such a short space of time and we have already learnt a great deal. The FA’s commitment to the game is here to stay and I am charged with collating the knowledge to make sure that we can develop the game here at a decent pace, but there is a lot of work to be done.

Where do you expect to be with the National Team in the next twelve months and beyond?

Part of my job remit is to determine a strategy that will show development for the National Team and I’ve broken this down into several areas. We are still at an early stage but already we have made great progress.

It’s important to understand that there are several purposes for this new National Team. Firstly it’s to act as a catalyst to promote the game of Futsal in England and to offer an international opportunity to players from all levels of the game, especially grassroots.

Secondly, it’s a vehicle by which to provide those players who have worked hard at their game and have shown they have all the attributes an opportunity to perform on the international stage. Add to this the fact it offers the chance for our most capable players to learn from international opposition and bring that back to the domestic game and you have a very purposeful programme.

My primary objective has been to identify the players and I am actively watching as many games a week as I can, both small sided and 11-a-side. Most 11-a-side players play small-sided football as part of their general training and possess the skills but lack the technical input, which is my job.

Futsal isn’t a private club, it’s a game for everyone and it’s promotion to the whole football family will act to develop players quicker for our domestic game. At this moment its technicalability and fitness that counts. We have to cover a lot of technical ground in a short period of time and I need exceptionally fit players in order to achieve that.

The FA’s head physiologist Richard Hawkins has recently been appointed to my staff team and we are developing performance profiles of each national team player to see how we can adapt and tailor individual training programmes to get the most out of them.

We haven’t set any performance objectives for the next 24 months other than to make sure that we improve and learn in every game. I am confident that we will make rapid progress over that period but we must remember that we are some 20 years behind the top nations in Europe and therefore it will be a slow process.

Our sights are firmly set on qualifying for the 2007 UEFA Championships but the road between now and then is a long one.

Finally, what was the experience like when you played in the UEFA Championships in Albania at the start of the year?

As you can probably imagine, most of these players had no experience of international sport so to be part of an England team for the first time was a very humbling experience for them, but one they will never ever forget.

The media coverage, the thrill and excitement of wearing the Three Lions and the intensity of technical work that we had to do was handled admirably by all of them.

Had we won the group I think it would have given us a false sense of achievement and undervalued how far we had come and indeed how far we have yet to go, but only time will confirm how valuable that experience was.