Courtesy: FIFA.com

Summer school for Italian futsal

(FIFA.com) 08 Sep 2004

The summer break that most sportsmen and women have from their national competitions not only allows them the chance to rest and recover from the strains of the sporting year, but also to prepare for the coming season. A case in point is Italian futsal, which took full advantage of the off-season to organize a special course aimed at coaches.
The course, which was a collaborative effort between the Technical Department of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), its futsal division and the Italian Association of Coaches (AIAC), was aimed at top flight coaches working in the calcio a cinque (as the futsal league in known in Italy) who wanted to improve their knowledge and training skills. From the beginning of the current season, completion of the course is a pre-requisite for coaching any of the Series A and A2 sides.

Over the two-week duration of the course, more than thirty participants actively shared ideas and experiences with each other, and debated varied approaches to a host of futsal-related issues with a panel of expert instructors. Predominant in these discussions were futsal technique and tactics, although sports medicine and psychology, as well as refereeing-related issues, were also an integral part.

Roberto Menichelli, assistant coach of the Italian futsal team, was one of the course coordinators and instructors. Speaking with FIFA.com he gave his assessment of the course. "We're very pleased with the results of the course. It has been a very positive experience all round with very high standards. The coaching assistants were also very pleased. Now we have a series of meetings planned where we'll be evaluating certain aspects of the course and deciding on what things to keep and what things to change for the future," he explained.

During September a further meeting is planned, during which the participants will be expounding their theses on subjects from the course that have been further researched. This is just one of the ways the course carries out research and promotes sport's studies.

The national futsal team manager Alessandro Nuccorini described the course as "a significant step forward in terms of quality for the development of the game."
This meeting of top coaches will undoubtedly improve quality standards in the sport, and lead to better performances from the coaching staff and players.

A sport on the up and up

"The standard of Italian futsal has improved noticeably in recent years. We now have a top quality national championship, and we have very talented players who have specifically come here to compete. All of this helps to raise the level of the game. Our winning the European Championship was ample proof of the progress we've made," said Menichelli.

Italy won their first European title when they hosted the tournament in 2003. On the road to European glory, the Azzurro knocked out the favourites and reigning champions Spain, before beating a dogged Ukrainian side in the final. The next big challenge for the Italians will be the FIFA Futsal World Championship to be held in Chinese Taipei between November 21 and December 5, 2004.

A good indicator of the current state of the calcio a cinque is the number of fans it is attracting, as well as the interest being shown from the communication media. Slowly but surely, the game's popularity is rising. "You notice these days that there are many more fans at the games, and that they follow the matches more intently. Futsal news is becoming more and more common both in the newspapers and on TV," remarked Menichelli.

In his speech during the presentation of the 2004/2005 campaign calendar, the President of the Italian Futsal League Fabrizio Tonelli had the facts and figures to back up the claims: "Last season we reached some landmark targets like the 40,000 fans that saw the play-offs and the 120 hours of TV coverage given. These are testimony to the growing level of interest in futsal, as are the constantly growing number of sides that are registering for the national leagues." Tonelli also praised the great work carried out during the course, referring to it as " a period of essential training, which has brought international acclaim on our movement."