Courtesy: Soccer Nations


Futsal Helps Make Stars

by Stephen Prendergast

Friday, January 20, 2012

Pelé. Ronaldo. Ronaldinho. Romario. Sócrates. Zico. Marta. The names read like a who’s-who of Brazilian soccer stars. And there are more who could be added to the list. But beyond being Brazilian stars, what do all of these great players have in common? Futsal. What has been called the “funny little game with the heavy ball” is a huge part of what has made Brazil and Brazilian-trained players such a force in the beautiful game.

It should be no surprise that futsal, which got its start in Uruguay in the 1930s but its real development in Brazil, has become a major factor in the success of these storied performers. A quick review of the numbers tells the tale: Fifteen of the FIFA 100 list of the 125 best living players are Brazilians, one more than either France or Italy, the runners-up in number of players. Eight of the eighteen men’s and five of the women’s FIFA World Player of the Year awards went to Brazilians. Finally, Brazilian players took four of the old Ballon d'Or awards for the European Player of the Year.

What is it about futsal that creates such success? According to writer Daniel Coyle in The Talent Code, it is something he calls “deep practice.” Coyle points out that up until the late 1950s Brazilian were generally no more successful than many other players from impoverished countries. That clearly began to change when a generation of young players who had grown up on futsal began to hit the international pitch. It was the fast pace and repetition in futsal that helped to make the difference – the “deep practice” that Coyle describes.

“One reason lies in the math. Futsal players touch the ball far more often than soccer players – six times more often per minute, according to a Liverpool University study” (Coyle, Talent Code). Touching the ball more often causes players to make more decisions and more mistakes – but it is precisely this that creates Coyle’s deep practice.

And what of non-Brazilian players? No less a star than Lionel Messi, three-time winner of the FIFA men’s player of the year honor, cut his teeth on futsal in Argentina. Other well-known names that have benefitted from futsal are Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain’s Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas.

The good news is that you don’t have to be from Brazil to benefit from futsal. In San Diego, 619 Futsal has been growing since it first began the planning stages in early 2011. The first regular season featured 58 teams from U-8 through adult, and the Spring League is now taking team registrations.

Sean Bowers, owner of 619 Futsal and a former member of the U.S. National Futsal Team, started the club to give area players their opportunity to play and learn from the game.

“After 10 amazing years playing futsal against the top national teams in the world, I wanted to bring my experiences to my hometown of San Diego," said Bowers when he spoke with SoccerNation in the summer of 2011. "619futsal will provide a futsal league through which players of all ages and skill levels will have the opportunity to develop the technical side of their game.”

Bowers was extremely pleased with the results of the 619 Futsal Winter League, and looks forward to an even better Spring. Because the high school soccer season will be over, he expects to see even more participation from the older youth players.

“Our mission is to provide an environment for players of all levels and ages to play and learn the game of futsal,” said Bowers. “We do this by focusing on skill development and emphasizing fun over winning. We do our best to match teams of similar skill in appropriate divisions and age groups wherever we can.”


SPECIAL DISCOUNT:
The 619 Futsal Spring League will begin March 11, but teams should sign up right away to ensure space. For U-8 through U-15 teams and U15-U18 high school division teams the registration is $550, but teams that register by January 31 can receive a $25 Early Bird Special discount. There is also a $25 discount for returning teams, and 619 Futsal will allow discounts to be combined.

Adult players need not worry about being left out. Women’s Open teams can sign up for $550 and U-19, Men’s Open and Men’s Over 30 teams can register for $595. The same discounts apply to adult teams as with the youth teams.

For more information about 619 Futsal, visit their website. All games are played on Sundays, and the season will run from March 11 to May 20. Registration runs through February 23.


619 Futsal Registration Information:

U8 - U15= $ 550 per team - Games will be officiated by 1 referee
U15-U18 High school Division= $ 550 per team - Games will be officiated by 1 referee
Womens Open=$ 550 per team - Games will be officiated by 1 referee
U19-Mens Open-Mens over 30=$595.00- Games will be officiated by 2 referees
Register prior to January 31, 2012, for Early Bird Special of $25 off
Returning Teams receive $25 off their team fees
Discounts may be combined!
Games will be played on Sundays at the Miramar Fieldhouse Gym located next to the Ned Baumer Aquatic Center on the Miramar College campus (10440 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA, 92126).




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