News from Norfolk County Futsal League

Futsal is taking the state of Massachusetts by storm

It may be new to our vocabulary here in Massachusetts but the sport of Futsal is played on every continent and in every country in the world and the people of New England have received their first taste of the sport over the past few years and they are liking what they see.

Last year the Catholic Youth Futsal League in Fall River Massachusetts sprung up and grew multi-fold overnight. United States Futsal Federation leagues are sprouting up from Fall River, to Lowell, to Essex County and Worcester and the Norfolk County Futsal League will be hosting the state's largest and most prestigious event of the year in January, the 2005 Massachusetts State Cup. The Massachusetts State Cup serves as a qualifier to the nation's largest Regional Championship Tournament held in Monroeville, Pennsylvania in February.

Let's back up just a bit though for the benefit of those not quite familiar with the sport of Futsal. Futsal is the only indoor game sanctioned by FIFA. Futsal is recognized as clearly the best form of indoor soccer for better foot skills development as it promotes quality touches, ball handling and precision passing. Futsal is FIFA's official indoor soccer game which is, essentially, a scaled down version of outdoor soccer played indoors. It is a small sided game (5v5) played on a smaller field (roughly basketball court sized) with a smaller (size 3-4) ball. Futsal is played with touchline boundaries. There are no walls in play.

The origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCAs. The game is frequently referred to as Five-A-Side. Once Ceriani got the ball rolling, Futsal gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil. The skill developed in this game is visible in the world-famous style the Brazilians display outdoors on the full-sized field. Pele, Zico, Socrates, Bebeto, Ronaldo and other Brazilian superstars developed their skill playing Futsal. While Brazil continues to be the Futsal hub of the world, the game is now played, under the auspices of FIFA, all over the world, from Europe to North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania.

In the state of Massachusetts, if you are talking with someone about Futsal it is hard not to speak about Bill Sampaio. Bill is a native of Brazil who lives in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Bill played the sport professionally and has a passion and understanding of the sport that is essentially second to none. Bill has been at the forefront of the development of the sport of Futsal for the past several years and has been credited with coaching national championship teams as well as having been recently appointed the position of National Director of Coaching for the United State Futsal Federation which is the national governing body overseeing all Futsal development within the United States.

Bill has been instrumental in developing the Catholic Youth Futsal League in Fall River, is the director of the Norfolk County Futsal League based at the Forekicks Sports Complex in Norfolk, Massachusetts and has received sanctioning from the United States Futsal Federation to begin the development of a premier Futsal League based in Fall River Massachusetts as well as a Futsal League in the East Bay area of Rhode Island. Another long term project that Bill has been working on is for the development of the sport of Futsal as a bonafide interscholastic sport. The USFF has sanctioned the development of a Northeastern Region Interscholastic program which Bill intends to introduce soon to area grade, high schools and universities. On the international front Bill has formed an alliance with the Sao Paulo Federation of Brazil which is the world's foremost advocate for the development of Futsal as a recognized Olympic event. To their credit, the sport of Futsal shall be included in the Pan-American Games in 2007.

These are exciting times for Futsal in the United States. People are now beginning to understand what the Brazilians have known for the better part of a century. If you want to develop your foot skills, then simply put, it's through the sport of Futsal. This has been made famous by professional soccer players throughout the world, but it is very evident in our local youth leagues. Even a casual spectator can recognized soccer players who have played Futsal and those who have not. The foot skills developed by the sport of Futsal are simply that obvious.

Most Futsal leagues operate as an off season regiment for soccer teams. In New England that is a huge benefit to the development of premier teams where they can continue their proper foot skills training indoors throughout the winter season. November and December are typically the start up months and leagues will run through to the opening of spring outdoor soccer leagues. Futsal would appear to be here to stay and players really seem to enjoy these fast paced, high scoring games! If you or your team are interested in participating in a Futsal League in your area, please feel free to contact Coach Bill Sampaio at 401-624-1521 or email him at sampa3@cox.net, he's sure to have the time to speak to you about Futsal!

For more information contact:
Bill Sampaio
55 Glendale St
Tiverton, RI 02878
Tel: 1-401-624-1521
Email: sampa3@cox.net

Photo attached: is of Bill Sampaio with Mayor Ed Lambert of Fall River, Massachusetts as the Mayor lends his support of the development of Futsal as an Olympic Event