Source: ABC.Net.Au

The sport of Futsal is on the rise in Tasmania with participation rates at an all time high.

With approximately 2000 players registered across 350 teams in Football Federation Tasmania's leagues, the game continues to grow in popularity.

The leagues offered range from social to competitive, juniors to seniors and are played by both sexes of a Friday and Sunday night.

Futsal is a fast paced, highly skilled variant of outdoor soccer that lasts two halves of 20 minutes. The game is played by two sides of five players, including the goalkeepers, on a hard surface roughly the size of a basketball court.

The ball used is smaller than the traditional outdoor ball and is weighted with feathers, which limits its bounce. This combined with the small court space creates an emphasis on a player's technique, ball control and their passing ability in small spaces.

For this reason the game is increasingly being seen as the ideal tool for developing younger players for the outdoor game.

Football Federation Tasmania's Southern Development Officer Anthony Alexander spoke to the benefits of futsal in youth development.

"It's a great game for developing 1v1 skills. Playing in such a high pressure environment improves skills, ball control and importantly it forces players to use both their left and right foot in tight spaces.

"In the off season I encourage all my players to go out and play futsal. Playing in a non coached environment helps them to make decisions for themselves."

South Hobart defender Liam Scott, who has been named in the Tasmanian state outdoor team to take on the Melbourne Victory on Sunday, is a product of Futsal in youth development.

"I started playing Futsal back in high school as it was really encouraged as a great game to develop skills. The key thing is you're on the ball a lot more in Futsal and always involved in the play.

"I feel it has really helped my outdoor game and it's something I believe all juniors should play.

"In Tasmania at the moment we are trying to make our outdoor sides a lot stronger, so getting juniors into futsal is only going to help that."

The rise in popularity of the game is set to be a major factor in producing the next wave of Tasmanian soccer stars. When the state team takes the field to play Melbourne Victory on Sunday, you can be assured that the majority of the side will have played Futsal at some point in their development.





FP Staff --> info@futsalplanet.com