I've seen a lot about futsal on social media recently. It is great to see so many kids playing this great game. But most of what I see is not really futsal. It is just pick-up in the park.
Don't get me wrong pick-up is great for player development. More touches on the ball. Fun. Great exercise. It is all important.
But futsal is not just a pick-up game. Futsal is not just soccer played on a tennis court. Futsal is not just a game soccer players play for 8 weeks during the winter to improve their soccer skills (there is nothing wrong with this by the way as futsal is great for soccer development).
Futsal is its own game.
It can stand alone against any game in the world. It has very different rules from soccer. Those rules are important because at the youth level they create conditions for development. Futsal has a FIFA World Cup. Futsal has professional leagues around the world. They are even talking about futsal becoming an Olympic sport and possibly bringing futsal to the NCAA.
Futsal209 is a futsal-only club because we believe the sport stands alone. We think it should be played all year. Our club features coaches who understand both coaching methodology and the game of futsal. We compete at the highest level because competition is a critical component to player development.
At Futsal209 we are committed to growing this great game.
Gabriel Bolton is the Technical Director for Futsal209 and an experienced futsal coach.