Back in 2004 when all heck broke loose after I retired from the Woodbury Soccer Club over the Academy concept, there was a fierce battle for the Woodbury Soccer Academy teams.  I had offered up an option to those teams interested to continue the Academy concept with me under the Bangu Tsunami FC banner, and Woodbury was doing everything in their power to keep the teams in their club.  I had already made the decision that fall to begin Futsal training with the Woodbury Soccer Academy teams, and now made the plan known as a training option for any teams that wished to move to Bangu.  I remember reading emails from the Woodbury Soccer Club president as he mocked us, stating to Academy parents that "You can't play soccer in a gym!". 

I believe that the Futsal training that the core group of this team was involved with for two years (the 2004/2005 and the 2005/2006 winter) was a major contributor to their success on the field during the outdoor months.

For those who are not familiar with the game...

Futsal is the official indoor soccer game of, and the only indoor soccer recognized by, soccer's international governing body, FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association). The game is played around the world as many of today’s global soccer stars began their youth soccer by playing Futsal. The Brazilians attribute their world soccer success to Futsal. Pele, Zico, Socrates, Ronaldo and Bebeto grew up playing Futsal and credit Futsal with developing their skills.

Futsal is a small-sided game (5v5 including the goalkeepers) played on a field roughly the size of a basketball court. Though and indoor game, Futsal is played with touchline boundaries and does not require the use of dasher boards or walls.  The official ball is a special low bounce ball that is heavier and smaller than an official size 5 soccer ball.

Futsal is a complete skill game that rewards technical proficiency over raw athleticism.  Space is at a premium, so young players are forced to develop tight ball control, lightning reflexes, and pinpoint passing skills in order to keep the ball under pressure from defenders.  One and two-touch passing is a must, so players need to develop vision, anticipation, awareness, while also constantly moving to offer support and passing angles.

Futsal is beginning to take this country by storm as more and more soccer players, coaches, clubs, and associations discover the unique and positive qualities of the game. The United States Futsal Federation is the national governing body for the sport of Futsal in the United States. The U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) and U.S. Futsal signed an agreement in August 1995 to promote Futsal in all national state associations under the auspices of U.S. Futsal.

This year, since we have players on the team from many geographical areas, our Street Soccer sessions at 4:30PM were not doable for parents with long commutes to the Woodbury area.  My thought was to mix the Futsal and Street Soccer sessions together by just getting the girls together to play the Futsal game.  The girls absolutely LOVE these sessions as the Futsal games are competitive and feisty.  The girls are free to play the game, with the only encouragement from me being for them to be risky, try new things, and be creative.  We usually have enough to form three teams, and play winner stays. 

It is important for me to constantly monitor the girls enjoyment of our training sessions.  I know that training, training, and more training can get old, and these Futsal/Street Soccer sessions help break up the winter training schedule by allowing the girls to simply enjoy the game.

For more thoughts on our Futsal Training, see The Futsal Way