Festive Futsal

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26 November 2004
England Futsal - GOAL!

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This tournament provides an opportunity to showcase the game and introduce it to an English audience more accustomed to the hurly burly of domestic five a side rather than the skill and subtlety of Futsal.

Futsal is new to England yet elsewhere in the world it has a committed following. One hundred and four nations were involved in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup that took place in Taiwan earlier this month.

With the winner expected to come from Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy or Portugal the game can be seen to provide part of the makeup of the technical skills that characterize the play of these major Football nations.

England has been playing international Futsal for the last eighteen months and the national team - drawn from domestic Futsal teams and semi professional football - has attempted to come to terms with an exciting, skilful game that many countries have been playing from anything from five to fifty years.

England have had to endure some tough lessons during this period as they seek to acquire the technical skills and tactical knowledge to play a game that ask demanding questions of very competent 11-a-side players.

The guests for this mini Tournament are Romania and Moldova. Both enjoy a UEFA ranking considerably above that of England and should provide challenging opposition for the home team.

Romania is seen as one of the rising nations of European Futsal and in a period of three years has embraced the game to such an extent that they now boast a three tier National League.

Romania are ranked 19th by UEFA’s. and 28th by FIFA based on an international record of 13 wins, 3 draws and 11 loses from 26 games. Romania’s 11 a side teams have traditionally been characterized by technically advanced players, comfortable in possession and under pressure and these characteristics can also be seen in their Futsal Team.

Moldova are ranked 38 in the world and performed respectably in the qualification process for the 2005 UEFA Championships, beating Cyprus and Andorra before loosing out to a strong Portuguese Team. The Moldovans are no strangers to the UK with many of their players have visited Britain previously taking part in Futsal club tournaments that have been staged in Perth and Cheltenham.

The FA is committed to develop the game of Futsal and next year will see the staging of twenty FA County Futsal Leagues to produce 16 qualifying Teams for the FA Futsal Cup at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield in July.

This will be accompanied by the selective piloting of the game in schools, universities and colleges as well as the introduction of FA Futsal Coaching and Referees Courses.

It is hoped that by these initiatives England will develop players that have key skills - retention of possession, one on one skills, tactical awareness, counter attacking - that will serve them well in Futsal as well as improving them as 11-a-side players.

Further details of The FA’s development plans for Futsal and the progress of the England Futsal Team can be found here.

The programme of games for the Tournament is as follows:

All games will be played at the National Cycling Centre, Manchester.

Tickets are free and enable spectators to view both the games of the Partially Sighted World Cup which is taking place at the same time and International Futsal. Tickets should be obtained in advance by clicking here.

Futsal fact sheet