Courtesy: The Voorhees Sun


Local youth excels at futsal

Fri, Jun 11, 2010

By Robert Linnehan

Sure, people in this country have heard of indoor soccer and maybe even attended a Philadelphia Kixx game at one point in their lives. Soccer is gaining momentum in the area, with Philadelphia receiving the newest MLS franchise and selling out games, but who has heard of Futsal? Who knows the game of Futsal?

Shannon Murphy, 18, an Eastern Regional High School student, knows Futsal and she’s good enough to play on the American national team. The talented soccer player tried out for the hybrid indoor soccer team in Massachusetts several months ago and was rewarded with a spot on the team.

Murphy is forgoing her graduation ceremony at Eastern this month to attend the National Futsal tournament in California. She’ll be shipping out on June 14 for more training with the team. The 25th annual Futsal National Championship begins on July 8.
“We’re a group of girls from all over the country on this team. We tried out for the team and we all have Futsal in common,” Murphy said. “We all started out playing soccer and we got into this game and we just all fell in love with it. That’s pretty much why we’re here.”

Futsal is similar to indoor soccer, but played on a basketball type court with wooden floors instead of the artificial turf arenas of indoor soccer.
The game is played four aside with a goalie, while indoor soccer is played with six aside and a goalie, leading to Futsal being playing in a less congested and quicker style.

Foot skills are emphasized in Futsal, Murphy said, making it a very popular game abroad. You can’t be a goonish type player on the court like you can in indoor soccer, she said, power is not a necessary attribute that you need to succeed.
The team consists of 12 girls from all across the country, even as far away as Texas.

There are no set positions on the Futsal field, Murphy said, so the team has to develop chemistry and work to flow and rotate on the court in a frenzied, but in-control, style.
“In soccer I play in the midfield, but in Futsal there really are no set positions, we’re constantly rotating, constantly moving. If I start in the back, a few minutes later I’ll be up in front or on the right side,” Murphy said. “You have to make runs; you have to confuse the other team. It can get complicated out there.”

Interestingly enough, Murphy’s work as an outdoor youth soccer coach helps keep her Futsal skills sharp. There’s nothing better than trying to keep a soccer ball away from a group of young kids surrounding you to improve your foot skills, she said.
“The whole experience is just surreal.
“I’m working very hard to try and keep my game up. I work with younger kids and I feel like that’s one of the best ways to keep your footwork in top shape, you don’t want to knock them over, you want to keep it away from them,” Murphy said.

Murphy said she will continue her Futsal career on the National team even when she attends Georgian Court University this fall.


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