HISTORY OF FUTSAL

The origin of Futsal (Five-a-Side Soccer) can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan
Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competion in YMCAs. The game is played on
basketball-sized courts, both indoors and out without the use of sidewalls.
The term FUTSAL is the international term used for the game. It is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese
word for "soccer"-- FUTbol or FUTebol, and the French or Spanish word for "indoor" -- SALon or SALa. The
term was adopted by U.S. Futsal since it includes the initials "fUtSAl" (USA). The term was trademarked in the
United States after U.S. Futsal changed its corporate name within the state of California.
The game is frequently referred to as Five-A-Side or Mini-soccer. Once Ceriani got the ball rolling, Futsal
gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil. The skill developed in this game is
visible in the world-famous style the Brazilians display outdoors on the full-sized field. Pele, Zico, Socrates,
Bebeto and other Brazilian superstars developed their skill playing Futsal. While Brazil continues to be the
Futsal hub of the world, the game is now played, under the auspices of FIFA, all over the world, from Europe to
North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania.
The first international competition took place in 1965, when Paraguay won the first South American Cup. Six
more South American Cups were held through 1979, with Brazil winning all of them. Brazil continued its
dominance with a victory in the Pan American Cup in 1980 and won it again the next time it was played in
1984. A U.S. team took part in the 1984 cup, but finished out of the running.
U.S. Futsal was founded in 1981 and incorporated in January, 1983. Osvaldo Garcia was it's first president.
The game is referred to as Minisoccer, five-a-side soccer, Futbol Sala or Futebol de Salao, but it is also widly
refereed by it trademark name, Futsal. The current U.S. Futsal president is Alex J.C. Para.
The first Futsal World Championship conducted under the auspices of FIFUSA (before its members integrated
into FIFA in 1989) was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, with Brazil finishing in first place. The Brazilians
repeated as champions at the second World Championship in 1985 in Spain, but lost in the third World
Championship in 1988 in Australia to Paraguay. FIFA took over direct sponsorship of the event in 1989 in
Holland and 1992 in Hong Kong. Brazil won both times. The U.S. Futsal (Indoor Team), finished third in 1989
and second in 1992 at the FIFA Five-a-Side World Championship. The highest showing by any team from the
United States in a FIFA tournament until the U.S. Womens team won the gold medal in China for outdoor
soccer. The Third FIFA World Championship was held November 24 through December 11, 1996, in Spain and
for the first time FIFA names it the FIFA Futsal World Championship. The Fourth FIFA Futsal World
Championship was held in Guatemala between November 18 to December 4th, 2000. The fifth Futsal World
Championship was held in Taipei in December 2004.
The first international Futsal match played by the U.S. Futsal National Team was in May 1984 in Nanaimo,
Canada, and the United States won 6-5. The first international Futsal match in the United States was held in
December, 1985, at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. The U.S. select team, defeated
Australia, 9-5.

U.S. Futsal has conducted a National Championship each year since 1985. Futsal is establishing itself at the
youth level in the U.S. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America took a strong interest after the Columbia Park Club
in San Francisco asked U.S. Futsal to give a demonstration. The national organization adopted the sport, and it
is now played at about 1,100 Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the U.S. The American Youth Soccer
Organization (AYSO) also plays the sport in a close working relationship with U.S. Futsal since 1988.
The U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) and U.S. Futsal signed an agreement in August of 1995 and in
1999, to promote futsal in all their National State Association as their game of choice for indoor soccer under
the auspices of U.S. Futsal.

Basic Skills
Receiving
Receiving a ball on the ground is different than receiving a ball in the air. When receiving a ball on the
ground, the following points should be considered:

Keep your eye on the ball.

Choose which foot to receive the ball with (this may depend on the location of the defender).

Receive the ball with one foot with the toe pointed up (ankle locked).

Dont stop the ball. Instead, prepare it for the next action: shot, dribble, pass or to play away from
pressure.

Receiving the ball in the air is a skill that involves six major phases:

Keeping your eye on the ball.

Reading the flight, speed and direction of the ball.

Deciding which body part will control the ball (foot, thigh, chest or head).

Getting the body in line with the direction of the ball.

Preparing to receive the ball by presenting the body part to the ball.

Cushioning the ball with the body part to slow it down and preparing for the next touch.

The following are drills that can be used to help players develop better receving skills:
Technical Session on Passing and Receiving
Coach Gina O'Neil gives a session plan that is full of passing combinations encouraging you to trap the
ball with the inside of your foot and passing with both inside and outside on the foot.
Receiving, Control, Receiving Exercises
Full Session to help players develop first touch and quality passing
Receiving and Passing for U10-U14 (Resource Library)

A technical session emphasizing receiving and passing designed for players in the U10 to U14 age
groups.
Give and Go (Resource Library)
NSCAA Director of Coaching Education, Ian Barker, uses a give and go drill to practice passing and
receiving technique using both long and short passes.

Passing
Because passing involves giving the ball to a teammate, it is important that players are taught to know
where their teammates are by constantly looking. A second important ingredient is verbal communication,
or talking. Coaches should teach players to provide intelligent verbal cues to help with decision-making in
passing.
The technical elements of passing vary based on the kind of pass being made. The key elements of any
pass (both short and long) include:

See the target.

Approach the ball.

Plant and position of support, or non-kicking foot (the toe of the non-kicking foot should be

pointed in the direction the player wants the ball to go).

Look at the ball, holding the head steady.

Contact the correct area of the ball with locked ankle.

For instep and outside of foot pass, the toes are pointed down and contact is on the top of the

foot.
For inside of the foot pass, toes are pointed up.

Follow-through: kick through the ball," following through toward the target.

Transfer the weight forward.

The following are drills that can be used to help players develop better passing skills:
A, B, C, D Passing
A passes to B, moves to center. B passes to center, moves diagonally to other cone (A). A passes o C,
moves to outside cone (B). Sequence begins again between C and D (*3 passes *3 movements per)
U-10 Passing
A lesson plan to help develop u-10 passing skills.

Technical Passing Session (Resource Library)

Session plan on using your right and left foot to control and pass. Samantha also provides passing drills
the encourage you to check and open your body up to the field and find the best pass.
Combining Technique Passing, Receiving, Moving (Resource Library)
NSCAA Director of Coaching Education, Ian Barker, does a drill in which players pass the ball through a
gate and then look for another ball to combine the elements of passing, dribbling, receiving and moving.

Shooting
Shooting uses the same technical elements as passing, with the important difference being that the goal
is to pass the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

If possible, the player should look up to see the position of the goalkeeper, choosing a side to

shoot the ball.

Approach the ball.

Plant the support foot beside or slightly ahead of the ball, which helps to keep the shot low.

Keep the head steady and eyes on the ball.

Make proper contact with the ball.

Ankle of kicking foot is locked and the toe is pointed down if shooting with instep.

Hips and knee of kicking foot are pointed in the direction of the shot.

Follow through to keep the ball low (weight going forward, landing on the kicking foot).

The skill of shooting sometimes is called an art because the scoring of goals is such a prized commodity.
The mechanics of how to shoot are important, but perhaps more important is knowing when to shoot,
especially because so many players prefer to pass the ball rather than take on the responsibility of
shooting. Since scoring more goals than the opposition is the object of the game, players who are goal
scorers are highly valued. Shooting frequently is done under pressure from opponents, sometimes facing
the wrong way and at awkward angles. Shooting should be practiced against a live goalkeeper.
The following are drills that can be used to help players develop better shooting skills:
Striking the Ball
Great session for U6 from Warm up to Game
Coconuts Young Player Game
U6-U8 striking a ball activity

Shooting Activities (Resource Library)

Activities Include: 1) Unopposed Shooting 2) Opposed Shooting 3) Shooting Game: Improve shooting
under pressure and in game situations 4) Small Side Scrimmage
Shooting Practice Plan (Resource Library)
Activities Include: 1) Shooting 1: Improve shooting technique 2) Shooting 2: Improve shooting technique
3) Shooting 3: Improve shooting technique 4) Shooting 4: Improve shooting techniques in game situations
5) Small Sided Scrimmages