Futsal Soccer #sportvariations #futsal

Indoor soccer, commonly known as 'futsal,' is a variation of soccer (football), derived from the typical forms of association football. Futsal is adapted for play on a smaller, and generally indoor arena, and was originally formed by the United States and Canada, allowing them to enjoy the game of soccer in the winter months when snow would make outdoor play difficult. Futsal can be considered a version of 5-a-side soccer.

Futsal is a game played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regular football due to the surface of the field. The surface, ball and rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.

Above: A typical outdoor futsal arena. 

Futsal started in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani Gravier, a teacher in Montevideo, Uruguay, created a version of indoor football for recreation in YMCAs. This new sport was originally developed for playing on basketball courts, and a rule book was published in September 1933. His goal was to create a team game that could be played indoor or outdoor but that was similar to football. Ceriani, writing the rule book, took as example the principles of football (the possibility to touch the ball with every part of the body except for the hands), but he took rules from other sports too: from basketball the number of team players (five) and the game duration (40 actual minutes); from water polo the rules about the goalkeeper; from handball for the field and net’s sizes. The result is a lively, evolved, dynamic, active and supportive sport.

- Jeremy