UEFA.com

Spreading the Futsal message

Sunday, 20 February 2005

By Greg Demetriou in Ostrava

Spain's success at the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship was a rich reward for the hard work and effort of the world's top Futsal nation.

Many trophies

The Spanish story has seen them win both the prestigious European and world events twice, starting with their first FIFA Futsal World Championship triumph in 2000. There is similar dominance at club level. Spanish sides have claimed all three editions of the UEFA Futsal Cup and there is every indication that the success will continue.

More wanted

However, UEFA is well aware that for Futsal to succeed, it needs to have all 52 associations playing their part, ultimately providing stiff competition for Spain and the other élite nations while spreading the Futsal word far and wide. Although 34 countries, including the hosts took part in this championship, much needs to be done to attract the remainder to the game.

Expert view

To this end, UEFA invited those associations to a "special Futsal workshop" that coincided with these finals - drawing together some of the finest Futsal thinkers to convey ideas on how to establish the game from the bottom up. This touched on everything from coaching and referees to marketing and business.

'Very successful'

Speaking to uefa.com, UEFA Futsal Committee chairman Petr Fousek said: "It was a very successful workshop, a two-day seminar with a lot of presentations. We were looking at Futsal from many different angles. I think they will return home with a lot of ideas and inspiration but what we hope for soon is a definite decision that they will go for Futsal, either immediately or in the very near future."

Developing fast

He added that while it was important for Futsal's progress to get more associations involved, it was also essential to work more closely with those that were already striving to compete with the likes of Spain. "On a sporting level, this tournament [in Ostrava] showed that Futsal has grown and developed in the past two years since Italy 2003.

Challenging future

"But furthermore we have seen much more clearly than in the past the difference between the teams with professional players -where the players are coming to their national team fully prepared by their clubs, like all four of the semi-finalists here [Russia, Ukraine, Italy and Spain] - and the rest. This is a challenge for the future because the associations have to work to establish fully professional Futsal in their own countries to keep the gap from getting bigger."

Getting ready

Looking to the 2007 championship, he confirmed that the host nation would be selected in March from three potential bidders - Portugal, the Netherlands and Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, seven countries had originally expressed an interest in following in the footsteps of Spain in 1999, Russia in 2001, Italy in 2003 and now the Czech Republic.

'Big hopes'

Naturally, this level of interest can only be a good thing in terms of the sport's future. "I have big hopes for 2007," Fousek concluded. "I am happy that many associations want to host the final tournament because it means a promotion for Futsal in that domestic country as well as across Europe."