Courtesy: FAI Futsal Portal


Futsal beats the Weather blues for the kids!

Monday, 18 January 2010

During the last week, the case for Schoolboys / Girls leagues introducing Winter Futsal modules has been strengthened with a number of prominent leagues running successful mini competition modules for their young players.

With the long Christmas Break and the prospect of playing games dampened by recent bad weather, children countrywide were apprehensive about fixtures going ahead but the kids of the Dublin & District Schoolboys/girls League, North Dublin SL, Wicklow SL and the Athlone SL had no such disappointment. Cumulatively, almost 4,000 children from these leagues experienced the thrill of playing the fastest growing indoor sport in the world.

Futsal is the game which helped to develop the technical skills of the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka and current World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi. Indeed Messi says of the game:
“In Argentina, when I was a young boy, I used to play a lot of Futsal. It was a really nice game that helped me a great deal”.
And so, thousands of young Irish players are hoping to follow suit and develop the intuitive skills that a game such as Futsal can help to develop. Mesmeric dribbling, exquisite passing, creative minds and sharp decision making are the core skills that Futsal helps to develop and anybody who has witnessed the kids in action recently will certainly agree that the Futsal environment is conducive to producing better all round football players.
The Spanish Federation , which embraced a Futsal programme in 1986 is now reaping the benefits with almost all of their players having played Futsal in school as youngsters. The quick feet, incisive passing and sharp minds are the hallmarks of the likes of Xavi, Iniesta et al with Futsal having had a role in their early development.
Last week in Athlone I.T. a large crowd of around 400 parents and curious onlookers turned up every night to see the Athlone Schoolboys / Girls league U11 competition. This competition which has been running for three years now is one of the highlights of the Athlone SL calendar. Athlone SL Chairman, Padraig Quinn is a staunch advocate of Futsal and along with his committee has driven the development of the game there.
“Apart from the game being great for developing skills, it’s very easy to organize competitions. There’s never a problem with the pitch and with some simple organization skills, competitions featuring large amounts of teams can be run with the minimum of fuss. However, the most surprising element is the sheer volume of parents who are turning up to watch games because of the comfortable environment the games are played in. We had almost 400 spectators for each night of our competition last week and this is hugely exciting for the children as well. This competition just keeps getting better and Futsal is definitely here to stay within our league!”
The DDSL which was the first schoolboys/girls league to take on Futsal sees the benefits the game can bring to their young players. The DDSL caters for the largest group of kids playing in Ireland and DDSL Small sided coordinator Orla Creevey certainly has a lot on her plate in organizing venues to accommodate the 2,500 children within their leagues who are playing throughout the month of January. This is the DDSL’s fourth year of this module which is aimed at the kids in the 7s and 8s age group. The positive feedback from the players, managers and parents means the module has been a big success and this makes the effort worthwhile.
Said Orla: “We are now in a position where we can offer 2,500 children guaranteed football during a time when the weather is causing the cancellation of most of our children’s games throughout the country. The kids are itching for football following the Christmas break and we are pleased to be able to accommodate them. We do not record results or keep league tables during this module and encourage managers to let the children express and enjoy themselves. It’s amazing the number of managers who are saying to me that the small kids on the team who sometimes get” lost” in the wide expanses of the outdoor game are suddenly the stars of the show because they are getting far more contact with the ball in the Futsal games!”
Indeed research has shown that compared to the 7 a side format of football, children are getting up to 400% more contact with the ball. Also, the players are finding themselves in critical attacking and defending match situations more often, so as well as the improvement in their technical skills, their decision making is also developed.
The Wicklow Schoolboys League is also currently running a module at U10 level with 300 kids being accommodated in just two halls! It is clear that facilities are not an obstacle to running such modules as teams sharing facilities appears to be the way to go. Said FAI National Futsal Coordinator, Derek O’Neill:
“There is a perception that a lack of facilities is an obstacle to running Futsal modules but there are far more halls available than people imagine. There are some great school halls out there which are perfect for Futsal and chatting with the school principal may yield a great result considering it’s mainly their pupils and children from surrounding areas who would be using the hall! Commercial facilities are also less busy at the weekend and would be glad to receive block bookings on Saturdays and Sundays. If a club or league had a hall available for 4 hours, that could accommodate 7 or 8 fixtures, that’s 14-16 clubs in one venue alone! On top of that, two referees could look after all the fixtures in the one venue as opposed to having to appoint 7 or 8 referees to travel to different venues, so the referee shortage problem is addressed as well! It’s a win-win for everyone.”
If you want to see a children’s Futsal spectacle, one venue certainly worth a look is the fantastic facility at Gormanstown College where the FAI are running a Futsal module throughout January with the NDSL and Drogheda SL. With 4 pitches available side by side in the same hall there are 600 children being accommodated every Saturday. And with the viewing gallery running the length of the hall, it is certainly a premier venue for Futsal!
FAI Community Development Officers, Paul Keogh and Mick Pender are running the event in Gormanstown with a view to bringing the NDSL and Drogheda SL into the Futsal family.
Said Paul Keogh:
“The FAI believes in the potential of Futsal to help develop the essential core skills of any young footballer. This is why we believe that the clubs and leagues in our area should embrace the programme. We are just showing them how easy it is to run and the benefits it has for children. I suppose another big plus is the reaction of the parents who are getting to see their kids on the ball a lot more in a safe and comfortable environment. I would definitely encourage clubs and leagues to embrace Futsal particularly with their youngest players.”
If you are interested in introducing Futsal to your club or league, you can contact FAI National Futsal Coordinator, Derek O’Neill at: derek.oneill@fai.ie



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