Courtesy: UEFA.com

Futsal, a strapping teenager

Monday, 13 November 2006

Having been born in most of Europe's national associations between the 1960s and 1980s and nurtured as a baby, it was officially acknowledged by UEFA in the 1990s that the small child had, in 16 years, grown into a strong boy. Futsal could finally stand apart from his older, more experienced and more widely educated brother - football - and was ready to play a full role and take an important place in the European football family.

Doors open
Commercial doors were opened wide when UEFA gave futsal professional recognition in 2005, allowing it, like the outdoor game, to mix promotional targets with development projects. But adult status inevitably implies new challenges: for UEFA, for UEFA's Futsal Committee, for the national associations and for national futsal committees, futsal clubs, players, coaches, referees and managers.

Championship futsal
Futsal has reached and passed many milestones in the last decade. UEFA established structures and systems, created its own futsal committee, administration, regulations and, after testing the temperature of the baby's bathwater with a European tournament, plunged it enthusiastically into a regular UEFA European Futsal Championship for national teams as from 1999. Soon after that, a UEFA Futsal Cup - a club competition for champions of European countries - was born.

Steady climb
The popularity of futsal, the number of players and teams, levels of media interest, spectator attendance figures, and the number of countries affiliated to futsal and developing the sport have all climbed steadily. It is hard to think that, back in 1992, only ten associations sent national teams to the first-ever continental qualifiers for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. In 2006, 40 associations entered their champion clubs for the UEFA Futsal Cup qualifiers.

Positive features
This growth is a clear indicator of the main positive features of futsal - interesting play with lots of goals and skill, a comfortable environment for spectators in indoor facilities, and an entertainment level which attracts the media and sponsors.

Youth tool
Futsal is also proving an excellent tool for youth education. The game teaches young players technical skills, ball control, movement at speed, small-area orientation, creativity and fast shooting. And many players realise that, even if they don't possess all the qualities necessary for a successful climb to the summit of the outdoor game, they might have exactly the right talents to make their national futsal team.

Grassroots role
That explains why futsal is playing an increasingly relevant role in UEFA's grassroots programmes. It is definitely a product that will produce rich harvests in the future. When the number of 40 associations is mentioned, it means that futsal is still 12 short of a 'full house' of UEFA's 52 member associations. Further delays in those countries could sow the seeds that give rise to troubles such as 'dissident' competitions. The development plan devised by the UEFA administration and the UEFA Futsal Committee is based on a full and united family - and this objective now seems very attainable.

Step forward
In sporting terms, the decision by UEFA's Executive Committee to expand the final tournament of the European Futsal Championship from eight to 12 participants represents a major step forward, not only because it gives better mathematical chances of qualifying but mainly because competing with hopes of qualifying always means greater motivation. And it means more national associations will benefit from the experience of competing at the highest level in a final tournament.

Product strength
Maintaining the tempo we have set in recent years and even accelerating the growth of futsal will serve to underline the strength of the product. But, as more and more nations join the futsal family, the most important message to transmit is that, the more you invest in the beginning, the more you stand to gain in the end.

This abridged article by UEFA Futsal Committee chairman Petr Fousek is the editorial in the official UEFA publication The Futsal Technician.



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