Do they have a website or anything? I'd have to read the article before I could make any comment. But I believe it was Joao Havelange (?) who once said that futsal would be "the" football in twenty years, if only because of space constraints. I don't know if I agree with him, especially since it's really having trouble taking hold here, but it could happen. It's already been proven that it can be played both indoors and out, and that versatility may be the the thing that makes it work.
No website. No link. Maybe I'll post highlights later. I still haven't had the chance to read it all the way through yet. The theme is favorable...futsal is "sexy football," etc.
Hmmm.... Well, if they could market it right, I guess anything is possible. But I wonder about the viability of indoor soccer as a whole in this country over the long haul. The now-MISL seems to have lost its luster over the years, but maybe going back to one-point-per-goal will help matters a little. But futsal's main selling points, at least for me, are that it can be played in almost any gym, it can be played either inside or out, and there is little physical contact. Also, it looks to be a lot cheaper to put on than indoor soccer, and if played on the right size court, IMO, is just as exciting as our version. By the right size court, I mean something more on the lines of a basketball court (maybe 100-110' x 55-60' (30-32m x 15-18m)), rather than a team handball court (132' x 65' (40m x20m)), which I think is much too big, and slows the game down (makes it look more like outdoor). But tell that to FIFA. I think that's why a lot of people think futsal's boring; there's too much room on a team handball court. I believe the FIFUSA brand of futsal was/is played on the smaller court. I also think that futsal could become to soccer what softball is to baseball, and would only increase participation in soccer as a whole. Too bad I'm too banged up, at least for the moment, to play anymore. I'd like to see that article, or as much as possible, if you could put it up here.
It's long, and I can never figure out BigSoccer's copyright rules, so I'll stick to highlights. The article does mention the Joao H. remark, and talks about how, in an era of stifling tactics and mind-numbing defensive and move-the-ball-for-the sake-of-moving-it mentalities, a nice, artsy, dribbling game is a welcome diversion. Where is Paul Gardner? Seems like he should be supporting it.
From the June 2003 FourFourTwo, "At Last...Sexy Football" by Paul Simpson: The bulk of the article covered the UEFA Futsal Championship, and was pretty complimentary. But stop me if you've heard the "TV to get support" remark before. An American soccer mantra, eh?
I'll refrain from letting my personal bias be the overwhelming factor here, but I will say that what I have seen of futsal bores me to tears, and I cannot under any circumstance imagine it being sufficiently marketable to to generate any sort of interest from the ticket-buying public whatsoever. In short: I can't see it being the future of anything. Not now, not ever. But that's just me.
i played a lot of futsal in brazil and even watched some pro futsal (i'd say it's maybe 4th or 5th most popular sport, if you count it as separate from soccer). it's fun to play, but the ball goes out of bounds constantly. constant restarts. it is a lot faster moving and a lot of what the article says is true. i definitely prefer it to the US-style indoor. but as to whether it will overtake real soccer - i doubt it.
Can't say I'd disagree. I enjoy playing futsal, haven't really seen enough of it as a spectator to make any judgment as to whether it is an exciting sport, or exciting enough to be marketable as a pro league. What I would like to see, however, is futsal replace our current indoor soccer to the extent the latter is being used as a developmental tool. Admittedly, today's use of indoor as a training device is much less prevalent than in the 1970s, when Phil Woosnam saw it as the answer to American boys only playing soccer 14 weeks a year, but it is still used as such at many youth leagues. Futsal is a truer version of soccer, and encourages independent creativity, etc. That being said, I would hope that, should the USL ever revive the I-League, they would do so in futsal format. The I-League was a low-budget excursion to begin with (at least in its later years), so it might be an inexpensive way to gauge if there is any support for the game as a free-standing entity.
I am not sure indoor is, or should be, used as a developmental tool. You want to develop, move to Florida or California and play year-round. I believe a lot of coaches will tell you their players can pick up bad habits playing indoor, but they still can stay fit and get touches. As for indoor as a spectator sport, that's not supposed to be soccer, either, really. That's supposed to be entertainment. Always has been, always should be.
The thing about futsal as a develomental game is that it's played with a small (size 3), deadened ball, so the theory is you have to develop excellent control on the dribble, and your passes have to be short & straight, since it's really hard to hoof the thing very far. And it's based on the assumption that since the Brazilians grow up playing a lot of this, it has to be good. I like the fact that it can be played on a basketball court, which is a lot more accessible to most people than a carpeted hockey rink. I've been trying to get the indoor YMCA league in my town to adopt Futsal for the past few months, but that's the over-30 guys, whose development concerns have more to do with chronic conditions than national team potential.
Ronaldo grew up playing futsal. I think in a lot of ways it speeds up the development process because you get so many more touches on the ball. I know, after playing soccer for 10 years or so, the year I spent in Brazil playing futsal 2-3 times a week really made a difference in how I play. Of course, gaining 50lbs since then has made a difference in how I play, too.
Okay, then if you want to develop and it's too cold where you are, play futsal. Just don't ask me to believe for a moment that you could market that as a spectator sport, because there's no conceivable way.
Kenn, If you've seen some of the same games on TV that I've seen, where they play on what's basically a team handball court, then I'd agree with you, that it can get boring. There's way too much room for 5 on 5, and it slows the game down. Blame FIFA for that. They're the ones who enlarged the court when they entered the futsal foray. But when it's played on a b'ball court, it's awesome, and not boring at all. Having said that, I think futsal, as I've said before, might do better in the US as being to soccer what softball is to baseball. The games aren't as long as outdoor games, so people could play on weeknights rather than on the weekends. You could have more courts/fields in a smaller space, so there could be more teams. As a rec sport, I think it's be great. Indoor soccer as a whole, I think, is having trouble, and futsal has yet to get its foot in the proverbial door. Personally, I don't know if it will ever really "make" it, but I still won't give up. I agree with Steve that if the I-League starts back up, they should try futsal. People have been wrong before, and it just might take off, if given a chance. And even if it doesn't make it on the pro level, it's still fun to play.
Oh, I have no problem with it as softball to baseball or a development tool or anything else. But it's just not going to sell as a spectator sport. I love American-style indoor soccer, but I recognize it for what it is - another version of a game I like, which I like on its own merits as well. I just laugh any time anyone brings up starting a futsal league.
I hate Indoor-football. My feet are burning everytime after that. Nothing is better than green soft gras to play!
futsal check out the debate on futsal vs. american indoor soccer at the MISL website Forum. some very interesting debate going on there, including some heated feelings about indoor soccer from some guy in chicago
I play futsol (outdoors) regularly here in Salvador and think it's great for many of the reasons that have already been listed. I'm 31 so my development potential isn't relevant, but for younger players it's a good way to not only develop offensive ball skills, but defense as well. You can't rely on tackling people off the ball and body blocks, which isn't to say these aren't important skills. Futsol requires players to develop good positioning awareness, quick feet and the ability to physically move someone off the ball without a gross takedown. For youngsters, these are nice skills to hone while growing and gaining the strength to muscle people around. As far as it's potential to supplant the beautiful game - I'll say not a chance. It's highly televised here and doesn't have near the following or feel of a jogo em campo (tried and true game on grass). Besides, banners and flares don't go over as well inside a gym as they do in an outdoor stadium
what if the MLS teams helped found a winter futsal league in the same cities as the outdoor league? it would be year-round promotion of the sport.
What, a pro league? Like, with MLS players and stuff? They don't want to have anything to do with indoor soccer, why would they want to start a futsal league that no one would pay to watch?
yes, a professional futsal league. it's not so far fetched. futsal is not indoor soccer as americans think of it. and it polishes skills. and if a suitable arena lease could be found, it might even break even from the first. if the MISL needs only a 4000 average attendance to break even (i'm referencing an article out of hampton roads for that figure), it could be done with MLS players. hey, a game a week would not be a stretch or hardship on the body, and it keeps the MLS name before their fsns after the MLS championship. KC or dallas might squawk a bit as they have MISL, though.
Welcome to the ignore list Yes it is. Absolutely no chance whatsoever. Unless they spent zero money. No chance does a pro futsal league in this country get 4,000 a game and no chance do MLS players do it. First off, MLS are year-round and preclude them from playing in another league except for the rare loan case (Eric Dade comes to mind). A pro futsal league has been attempted and can't get off the ground. It can't happen. Won't happen. No chance. It's completely ridiculous.
Re: Welcome to the ignore list Keep in mind, Kenn that the so-called "pro" futsal league would have been on the same level as a PDL division, if that. There's no way in heck anybody would believe it would work. It was doomed from the start, and I think everybody knew it (but also keep in mind the USL came from the same low-budget, low-level beginning, the SISL). You can't really use the PFL as a gauge for whether pro futsal would work (it would be similar to using an Gulf Coast League (Rookie) baseball team to gauge whether MLB would work in Tampa/St. Pete). But personally, I think a higher-caliber league with some thought and marketing would have a chance. Even if it became a sport like Arena football, or pro lacrosse, a "niche" sport in other words (or a Nike/adidas-sponsored tour event), it could work. I know you have a tremendous bias against it, and your soccer experience may lend credibility to your argument, but I still think it could work. Who would have thought the original MISL, and even the now-MISL, would have stood a chance, given the climate soccer was in in the late '70s-early '80s (sure it was the salad days of the NASL, but soccer as a whole was not really popular). But, until somebody tries it, I guess we'll never know.