“In any football programme in any country, players should be playing futsal, because you get to a point where the coach cannot make you any better technically.  It’s about repetition” Roberto Martinez (Portugal national team head coach). 

In our recent webinar “Using Futsal to develop football players” Ian Bateman (FAYCD Lead), Marc Forrest (National Futsal Coach), Ross Brooks (U11/U12 lead coach at West Ham United) and Dan Simpson (Game Insights Analyst) delved into how Futsal can provide the perfect platform for players to develop and enhance the technical skills required for the eleven-a-side game.   

Why play Futsal?

With the opportunity of playing all year round, Futsal provides much more than a way of beating the bad weather.  It is a fast paced, highly technical and tactical version of the game that provides the best bits of football in a much shorter time period.  It can allow the opportunity for players to practice in a different environment and arm them with a range of skills to support their journey through academy football.   

For coaches, Futsal offers a unique perspective, allowing the observation of players through a different lens. Unlike traditional formats, Futsal naturally caters to players' needs rather than their wants, presenting a valuable opportunity for insight. This dynamic particularly benefits late-maturing players who may struggle with the larger scale of eleven-a-side games. Futsal provides them with ample chances to showcase their technical prowess, emphasizing quick turns and precise passes over sheer physicality. Despite common beliefs that Futsal favours smaller, more technical players, top-level teams prove otherwise. The smaller court and frequent transitions foster constant acceleration and deceleration, creating an environment where players of all sizes and styles can thrive. 

Opportunity to practice core skills

One of the greatest advantages to playing Futsal is the opportunities it provides to practice core skills such as passing, intercepting, or finishing.  Using data to compare the Male Euro 2020 final between England and Italy (60 minutes ball in play time), and the 2022 Futsal Euro final between Portugal and Russia (40 minute game), you can see in the graphic below that players are exposed to core skills on a much more frequent basis within Futsal.  Players in the Futsal Euro final received an average of 105 times, three times the amount of those playing in the Euro 2020 final.  When working with younger players in particular we encourage them to stay on the ball and in this case study Futsal provided the opportunity for players to move with the ball seven times more (14) than football (2).  These figures are taken as an average of all players and may look different depending on playing position.  Want to know more about core skills and moves in futsal check out this article. 

Impact on technical development

Playing on a smaller court not only provides greater opportunity to practice core skills, but they are forced to receive and play under greater levels of pressure, enhancing the need to scan and think quickly to make decisions based on the positioning of themselves, the ball, their team-mates and the opponents.  This is particularly useful for players in the foundation phase as it exposes them to these situations early in their development, so when they transfer to a bigger pitch it feels a lot easier. 

One rule which significantly impacts the technical development and considerations of players is the back pass rule.  Once the goalkeeper has touched the ball, the team in possession are then playing in a 4 vs 5 underload as they are unable to pass back to the goalkeeper.  This forces players to think and play forwards and find ways of disrupting the opposition in order to create goalscoring opportunities.  

The denser ball and wooden court surface of Futsal contribute to a faster-paced game. Mastering the technique of receiving the ball with the sole of the foot becomes crucial, allowing players to keep their heads up and survey the field. This skill seamlessly translates to football, empowering players to scan the field and swiftly manipulate the ball upon receiving it. Early exposure to this technique equips players with a heightened awareness of game situations, and as the number of receptions and passes increases, so too does the opportunity to practice out of possession actions such as tackling and intercepting.  With teams only allowed to commit five fouls in each half, players must defend intelligently to win the ball as cleanly as possible and limit the number of fouls they commit. In the video below, Ross Brooks explains the importance of timing and positioning to be able to defend effectively. 

Variety of passing technique and transfer to football

Not only does playing Futsal increase the number of core skills a player performs, but it emphasizes the need for players to be able to perform each core skill using a variety of techniques.  In the video below Ian Bateman breaks down the ‘lifted’ pass, which is common passing technique used in Futsal, and how this can be implemented effectively within the eleven-a-side game.  The ‘lifted’ pass is a great example as it allows time for the receiver to move as the ball takes longer to travel.  It is also played at an awkward height for the defender to intercept.   

Max Kilman: A shining example

Perhaps the greatest example of the positive impact Futsal can have on preparing players for the eleven-a-side game is current Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Max Kilman.  Whilst studying at the University of Hertfordshire Max was playing non-league football for eighth-tier Marlow and five-tier Maidenhead.  He coupled this with representing England in Futsal and at 6ft 4in completely dispels the myth that Futsal is only for small technically gifted players.  Watch below as Ian Bateman and Mark Forrest discuss how Futsal has prepared Max for the technical demands of Premier League football.  

To find out more about how Futsal can support the development of your players check out the webinar in full below: 

https://community.thefa.com/coaching/m/webinars/1065 

Want to learn more about Futsal, explore the laws of the game, and learn how to support your players?  Check out our National Futsal Course  

For a deeper dive into twin tracking and how Futsal helped prepare Max Kilman for Premier League football check out this webinar