Courtesy: Evening Leader


Flintshire footballers follow in footsteps of Pele and Ronaldinho by learning 'futsal'

22 April 2009

BUDDING football stars in Flintshire are following in the footsteps of international legends, by learning a new five-a-side game.

Sports Flintshire and the Welsh Football Trust have been teaching futsal, an indoor game which helped Brazilian stars Pele and Ronaldinho learn the art of football, to children in 14 schools.

Futsal is played with hockey-sized goals and a smaller ball with a reduced bounce, which creates an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique, as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.

Gareth Owen, football development officer, said: "Futsal gives youngsters the chance to show off a bit. I always tell them that as a footballer, if they can do a tenth of what Ronaldo does, then you're not doing bad.

"The coaching has been amazing because it's all about an attacking point of view and encourages attackers to put the skills into practice and express themselves."

Gareth and his colleagues are hoping to enter teams into a competition in this year's Flintshire Festival of Youth Sport, which takes places on Thursday, April 30.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com