WUSA should consider Futsal

Discussion in 'Pro Indoor Soccer' started by Tom Swift, Apr 13, 2006.

  1. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005
    Some of the criticisms by non-soccer fans are not off-base. Soccer games are too low scoring. I like the MLS, but the 2005 championship game that went into overtime and ended 1-0 was tedious to watch.

    If the WUSA ever does rise from the ashes, it should seriously consider becoming a futsal league for five reasons.

    1. No annoying offsides rule.
    2. Higher scoring games are more fun to watch.
    3. Smaller rosters are more affordable and allow more teams.
    4. With the smaller court, the fans are closer to the action.
    5. The games are less than an hour long. People have busy schedules. Shorter games are a better sell to tv networks.
    6. The smaller, heavier ball allows for more skill play.

    Instead of a new league, I'd rather see a large double elimination tournament. League play lacks the "thrill of victory/agony of defeat" drama that makes sports exciting. I think a women's-futsal-tournament/elimination-style reality show would be alot of fun to watch.

    Just a thought...

    TS :)
     
  2. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    The Womens United Soccer Association no longer exists as a viable entity.
     
  3. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    The inverse is the guy hanging out the goal post just for kicking a goal.

    ...as far as the rest.....wut Andy said.
     
  4. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005
    I'm not just talking about the WUSA. WUSA or not, there will be a return of professional women's soccer. I don't think it should be another league. I would like to see a more exciting format.

    TS
     
  5. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005
    The offsides rule is unnecessary. The NBA has no offsides rule and you don't see players standing alone by the basket. What you do see is faster play and transition points.

    The offsides rule is another advantage for the defense in a game already stacked in favor of the defense.

    TS
     
  6. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Sounds like what you're looking for already exists. It's called the WNBA, you should look into it.

    Me? I'll wait for another fully professional outdoor women's soccer league that complies with FIFA's Laws of the Game to come around.
     
  7. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005
    Futsal has been around for decades, is officially sanctioned by FIFA, and doesn't have an offsides rule.

    http://www.fifa.com/en/comp/index/0,2442,Futsal2004,00.html?comp=Futsal&year=2004

    In the long run, I think futsal (indoor soccer) is more marketable in the U.S. That's just my opinion. It's more important that women's soccer sell tickets and lands a decent TV contract than whether it plays indoors or outdoors.

    BTW... The MISL finals are going to be on ESPN at the end of the month. (They don't have an offsides rule but you're not allowed a three-line kick.)

    Go Storm!
    TS

    P.S. I do like the WNBA. Go Shock!
     
  8. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Opinion based on what facts? On Men's Futsal in the US? :confused:
     
  9. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    A) The dynamics of bball are a bit different from soccer.

    B) One of the reasons for offsides was that the fact of the hanger-on near goals.

    C) Really. If you want to push FUTSAL, that's another thing, but WUSA-FUTSAL is something else. I play indoors. I don't see FUTSAL ever competing at the level of outdoor game in men's, even less in women's.
     
  10. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Hey now, Jamar Beasley was on the national team at the last World Cup!
     
  11. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Futsal will never catch on as a paying spectator sport in the United States.

    Never.

    Fun activity? sure. Spectator sport? Never.
     
  12. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Don't get me wrong. I do watch on TVE la Liga Nacional de Futsal de Espana.
    I even thought of setting up a very local league for FUTSAL through FAST.
    But. I am not convinced through actual facts that somehow a women's Futsal league will do better than WUSA (at that level). If the Men's FUTSAL has not shown that level of popularity and acceptance vis a vis competing head to head against USL, then I just don't see with women.
     
  13. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico

    jajaja. Mamon! :D
     
  14. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005
    Indoor soccer has been drawing crowds in the U.S. since the 1920s.

    http://www.usindoor.com/history.html

    It's simply too early to tell which form of soccer will do better in the U.S.. Only 2% of sports fans listed it as their favorite sport in the 2005 Harris poll. It can't be said that outdoor soccer has a dominant foothold on the sports fan market. There's ALOT of room for improvement. In the business world, the ability to adapt is key. Indoor soccer is a made for television product. Outdoor soccer has shown a reluctance to roll with the times. When someone complains that 1-0 games are kinda dull, the response is:

    "You don't understand soccer.".

    The NFL, which is the most successful league in the U.S., makes changes to its game all the time. It saw that the two-point conversion made the game better, so it added it. They go out of their way to make the game interesting for the fan. That should be the number one priority. (not blind allegiance to the Laws of FIFA)

    TS
     
  15. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Name one indoor spectator arena built for either a Futsal or Indoor Soccer team in the U.S.

    Just one.

    Outdoor soccer is doing just fine as a spectator sport. Indoor soccer is slowly dying. Futsal has never, to my knowledge, ever had a professional spectator presence in this country. The last two Futsal World Championships qualifiers in the U.S. drew blockbuster crowds of around 350 in Milwaukee a couple of years ago for a pair of games vs Honduras...

    Even U-17 outdoor qualifiers blow that away.
     
  16. jammybastard

    jammybastard Member

    Oct 7, 2003
    Flyoverland
    I think USA Soccer should promote futsal for kids like USA Hockey did with roller hockey 10 years ago.
    I wish we would have had futsal in school when I was a kid. Especially in the winter.
     
  17. Tom Swift

    Tom Swift New Member

    Apr 25, 2005

    The MISL has been drawing thousands of fans for decades.

    There are only a few stadiums that have been built by the MLS. I can't name a stadium that was built for women's pro soccer. This is about what is best for the women's pro game. As far as women are concerned, pro outdoor soccer is not doing just fine as a spectator sport. In the U.S., we saw a pro women's league with great financing and name recognition go down in flames. Why? Was it due to extremely likable stars like Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy? No. Maybe it was partly due to the boring format. Women's soccer has to reach out to new fans. If you like Mia Hamm, but you're not a huge soccer fan, which are you more likely to watch on TV?

    A. a 2-hour, outdoor soccer game with one or two goals scored

    or

    B. a 1-hour, Futsal/indoor soccer game with ten goals scored

    Hmmmmm..........
     
  18. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    How's the MISL doing now?

    And by the way, the MISL isn't Futsal.

    MLS (not "the MLS) currently has the Home Depot Center, Pizza Hut Park, Columbus Crew Stadium, Commerce City, Bridgeview, and Toronto all completed or under construction. New Jersey is scheduled for groundbreaking this summer.

    Additionally PAE-TEC Park is about to open, and at least 10 or so 5-10k seat stadiums have been built over the last 10 years for USL and college teams.

    SAS Stadium, site of Tuesday's USMNT vs Jamaica game

    You're obviously new here. We've been hashing through the carcass of the WUSA for the last 2 1/2 years. If you want an education, spend some time reading the older threads.

    The WUSA's failure had far more to do with a bad business plan coupled with irrational expectations and a stock market collapse than with the lack of viability.

    The WUSA's 5-6k/game was more than sufficient to support a professional league. In fact, most MISL teams would love to get WUSA sized crowds - and that's for men's indoor soccer.

    The WNT played an indoor tour in the fall of 1999. The crowds were far less than those of the outdoor games they played that year, and only one or two of them were anything close to capacity.

    You're way off base.

    Soccer - the outdoor variety - is played, loved, and watched by most Americans. Yeah, a 0-0 game can be boring, but then how many fans are left in the stands at the end of a 14-4 MLB slugfest?

    Men's Indoor Soccer is a dying business. Men's outdoor soccer is a growing success. Which model do you want to follow?
     
  19. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    But. The question still stands.

     
  20. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Too early?! :eek: Well. How longer do you wanna wait?
     
  21. GLBryan

    GLBryan Member

    Oct 30, 2004
    Georgia
    Well said.
     
  22. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    You know mods.....at the end...this debate is going to be more about the merits of FUTSAL than WUSAv2 ....[sigh]
     
  23. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Well..It depends on what real based game,ennit? If you ever seen a Chivas vs. America or Tigres vs. Monterrey derby game in FMF, a 1-0 game for two hours is nailbaiting as hell.
     
  24. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Another barometer of success in so far indoor vs. outdoor, is how many local associations/leagues have started between indoor vs. outdoor? How many cities have built outdoor soccer parks vs. indoor soccer parks?
     
  25. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    ...and an article based on real world situations:

    Will Cougars Return?

     

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