The world knows it as the official indoor soccer... it has a FIFA world cup for the sport... and its rumored to be included in a part of the Olympic games. How do strategically promote it in the United States to claim it's rightful place? Any ideas is welcomed...
you have to start grass roots and grow the game with the youth of today in the USA. Most adults have never played Futsal before. I played for the first time in Feb. in a 3v3 tournament. www.bp-events.us It was a lot of fun and the guys running said they are going to try to add another one in the fall
As stated already, it will tak e alot of effort, mostly a grassroots one, and try to compare it to the 'indoor' setup thats going on now with walls. I personally plan on starting a futsal/ indoor soccer faciliity in the future, to help spread it. (im 24 and plan to do something like this in a couple years)
Every six months or so, since the beginning of time, somebody brings up futsal. I've argued, for indoor soccer, because I believe in it and own 18 locations that do nothing but indoor soccer. This has gone on since I owned and ran the Indoor Soccer Forum back in the late 90's or early 00's can't remember for sure. Sometimes they get heated going back and forth, so when yours showed up, it was a time honored tradition, by me, to say if you want to make it better and more popular, put up walls and call it indoor soccer.
There really should be a separate forum for futsal. It would avoid unnecessary pissing matches with indoor soccer bitter enders. There are several organizations trying to promote futsal in the USA; Google is your friend. Futsal is growing and better known in the USA now than it was 20 years ago. We send a futsal national team to the futsal world cup, for instance. But then again we do the same for beach soccer. Making futsal an Olympic sport would certainly help its exposure in the USA. But than again we could say the same thing for beach soccer.
I watched the US play in the world cup on galavision. It was difficult for them to take arena indoor soccer players and try to compete with the rest of the world, who just about all have professional futsal leagues. There are pockets of Futsal groups growing in the US right now. California (World United), Baltimore, and down in the Missouri/KC area. It's still rather grass roots, and there are probably more kids teams in these areas than adult teams. The professional development of Futsal in this country is going to be very slow at best. Regional leagues will need to be established before you can even dream about a national league. And one of the first things needed is money. Sponsors need to buy into the sport. Fans need to buy into the sport. PLAYERS need to buy into the sport. Until all 3 of those happen, it's going to be tough sailing. What the US Futsal needs to do is grab 20-30 kids out of college, who are interested in Futsal, and send them to European teams or South American teams to play. Get them into an established club so they can develop professional level futsal skills and experience. Then come back and play for the US in tournaments or the World Cup. The Italian Futsal team is all Brasilians. Spain, who was #1 in the world before losing to Brasil in the last Futsal world cup, even had a Brasilian or two. So it's not unusual for countries to have foreigners playing in their leagues or even on their national teams. Just like the Women's national team, the US won't buy into a niche sport until you have a dominant national team. Then there might be more interest. But for now, stop trying to say futsal should replace arena soccer (not saying any of you did). Futsal will need to compete as a completely separate entity. JMHO....
^^^Interesting way of looking at it! Good point at developing it at the pro level. SImilar to how the US national team worked before there was MLS, players would be loaned out directly from the USSF.
Oh, now you've done it. You mentioned World United, but did a complete diss on Di Bufala. Somebody's gonna get mad... I saw both teams at the Disney tournament a few years ago, and was able to talk to some of the World United players. They're a great group. I gave up on futsal a while back. However, the game continues to grow, albeit slowly (thank you, Captain Obvious). Futsal blew its chance for a big splash years ago, so the grassroots effort is all that is left. The legal stuff between the USFF and US Soccer and FIFA didn't help, either. I think it will always be a niche sport, and it will be just another form of small-sided soccer, just as there are several forms of softball (cabbageball, ASA, USSSA, ISA, etc.). Hopefully, it won't go the way of team handball, from being a small blip on the American sports radar screen (thanks to the '96 Olympics), to basically disappearing (it's still there, but you really have to look for it). But I give futsal no chance of attaining its so-called "rightful place" as America's (USA & Canada) official indoor soccer game. It's too late in the game, no pun intended. If I'm wrong, then yippee. As for me, I'm going to try and find people who are interested in five- or six-a-side outdoor soccer in the Marietta/Cobb County, GA area.
DavidP - yeah, I should have tossed Di Bufala in there but I don't know anyone on that team. I know a few of the guys from The World United team, so they were the only team I mentioned. What I have noticed is that it seems a lot of the adult players on the better futsal teams aren't from the US. And some of them don't have citizenship, so they couldn't be selected for the national team. It's a shame, because there is a lot of talent out there. You are right, futsal will stay small scale, and will never replace arena indoor soccer, at least not in my life time. Arena style indoor soccer has been around the US for 30 some odd years. Futsal has never established itself to this degree. If futsal is going to succeed in this country, the push will have to come from the top down. USSoccer will have to get involved. But as of right now, the US Futsal program is second to bottom on the totem pole, with beach soccer on the bottom. Until it moves up a few pegs, and gets more attention and dedication, it will remain obscure. I will continue to support it though, as I played growing up overseas (military family - moved a lot). But I will also continue to support arena soccer as well, and that includes all leagues (NISL, XSL, and PASL Pro and Premier).
With the slow go of American style indoor now a days. Why isn' the US Futsal team trying to play more international friendlies? I mean the US is really trying to build youth futsal why not give them something to shoot for?
Hello: My name is Rob Iliff and I am from Louisville, KY. We have a newly founded futsal organization here in Louisville. Very small. In the grassroots stages. I am currently heading into my second fall/winter season coming up to promote futsal. I am trying to get the word out about both youth and adult opportunities. We are in the process of organizing our 3rd futsal (Men's Open) tourney event June 27th, however, an alternative date of July 11th is going to be looked at in case we come across too many conflicts on June 27th. Let me know if there is any interest from your end of the table about this tourney event and Futsal in general. You can visit Louisville Futsal at www.louisville.superfleague.com. Thanks, Rob Iliff
I signed up to play at what was the only place in town that offered futsal, albeit six-a-side. Guess what? when I went to sign up, I found they had put down turf, and are now playing regular six-a-side. No walls, but it isn't futsal anymore. I'll be playing my first real soccer game in ten years this Sunday (it's only a tryout, but still). Pray for me.
My guess for the US not really pushing futsal is due to the lack of success on the American Men's Outdoor program. Until their more successful I don't think we'll see a bigger push from US Soccer in the futsal region. DavidP Im sad to here you aren't able to find a futsal league. San Diego will be getting a Men's Futsal League this fall. Finally!