This weekend sees almost 100 junior teams from all over the country descend on the English Institute Of Sport for The FA UMBRO Youth Futsal Festival.
Both boys and girls’ teams from the U10, U12, U14 and U16 age groups will participate against each other on Saturday and Sunday.
A fine way for young players to develop crucial ball skills, Futsal has been growing in its popularity over the last few years and this can be seen in the interest shown in the Festival this year.
With teams partaking from as far apart as Northumberland and Devon, the game’s nationwide appeal is obvious and Dermot Collins, The FA’s National Manager for Small Sided Football, is pleased to see the interest in the competition.
“The size of this year’s festival – 96 teams – indicates a growing interest in Futsal,” he said.
“The growing popularity of the game is due mostly to the fact that it is a really enjoyable game to play.
“It offers participants lots of touches of the ball, lots of shots, saves, counter-attacks and goals.
“The laws of the game allow attacking players to express themselves more freely than other more physical versions of small sided football and the low bounce Futsal ball means that many players find it easier to control and to try out their repertoire of tricks and flicks.”
Futsal is played in numerous countries around the world, such as Brazil, Portugal and Spain, where younger players develop their technique and skill levels and Collins believes that English coaches are now working hard to see young players in this country taking up the format.
“The growing interest in Futsal also reveals an increasing commitment from many coaches and team managers to try to develop a generation of players that are technically competent, especially in relation to the speed of the pass and how to control the ball efficiently in a variety of different situations,” he explained.
“They must also learn how to screen the ball under pressure, while having the ability to master one-on-one situations, both from an attacking and defending point of view.”
England Manager Fabio Capello recently stated that: ‘Without fantasy or one player dribbling, with good passes it is impossible to score goals.’ And Collins believes that Futsal is an integral part in the development of players with these qualities.
“As the England Manager Fabio Capello recently commented, you need players in the modern game that can offer ‘fantasy’ and Futsal as a game encourages the development of these qualities,” he added.
Entry to watch The FA UMBRO Youth Futsal Festival is free, click here for more details.