Source:Futsal.se

This is a blog post about the pitch surface in futsal. In Sweden we know little about this and that goes for me as well but i know a good surface when i pass the ball or dribble with it. It is the feeling that counts and it’s hard to explain for people who never played real futsal.

The Swedish FA is planning to send out information about futsal and its characteristics to the Swedish municipalities so they are informed on how we want the arenas to be built in the future. This post is hopefully input to this information.

Futsal internationally is played on wooden parquet or in the big championships on expensive tailored futsal floor. In the rules of futsal it says:

Matches should be played on flat, smooth and non-abrasive surfaces, preferably made of wood or artificial material, according to the rules of the competition. Concrete or tarmac should be avoided. Artificial turf pitches are permitted in exceptional cases and only for national competitions.

In Sweden artificial grass turf is very often used for football and we have a hard time to explain why this kind of pitch is not so good for futsal. But I think this discussion is over now and we see futsal as non-football, including the use of artificial grass turf.

The problem we have in Sweden with this is that we have two dominant indoor sports with other requirements than us. I am not familiar with these requirements but they are definitely not the same as in futsal. If we look at the indoor pitch surfaces in Sweden, I guess 90% is this rubber-typed pitch, nice to fall on for handballers and no minor bumps for the small plastic ball in floorball. But what futsal demands is that we preserve its characteristics as the fastest sport on earth (after formula 1).

The ball speed is crucial for our sport and how we manage the small areas. With these spongy rubber floors the ball takes an eternity from player A to player B, but what worse is that you cannot dribble or transport the ball with speed on these floors. Also I see futsalers feets stick to the surface when making a change of direction with speed, resulting in serious knee or ankle injuries. Especially in women futsal I have seen this many times.

The slide is a futsal delicacy. It is used when blocking a shot, saving the ball from the sideline and in international futsal you see it several times per game. In Sweden it is a rarity and seldom seen. How can we compete at the international level if we don’t have the same prerequisites as the top futsal nations.

The surface is also of great importance when choosing tactic in futsal. A fast floor like the wood parquet is good for counterattacks and fast movement of the ball and a slow floor is good if you want a tight defense and play long balls to the pivot.

A comment on the topic from a Norway coach:

Take for instance one of our key players. He used to be a fast attacker who tried to dribble past opponents, while playing for a team who used little passing and much dribbling. He hated parquet, because (dirty) parquet gave too little friction for accelerations and changes of direction. Now he loves it. He plays for a team that tries to exchange the ball rapidly and where the speed of the ball from player A to B is crucial.

A lot of Norwegian players don’t get this. They just want to be sure that they can accelerate and run fast. So pulastic and other types of plastic surfaces tend to be popular. The ideal surface of course allows the ball to slide while also providing grip to your soles.

Another comment by a top international futsal player:

My opinion is that futsal at the elite level should be played on parque (wood). It is much faster which helps when attacking and thus leads to more goals. It means you can circulate the ball quicker and disorganise the defence. Unfortunately the rubber version of flooring is a cheaper and it seems most new courts use this surface. It is very hard to play against closed defenses (defending near their own goal) on this type of surface.

Basketball is aligned with us I think, because they prefer wooden parquet as well. But basket does not need 40*20 pitch, at least not for training.

Also I know there is a suggestion to name Skövde arena as national arena, meaning all National games will be played there. I can name a dozen reasons why this is a bad idea but if this happens I expect the floor to be changed to a more speedy type. And I fear Skövde handball in the top national division will not go for that idea.

The ultimate futsal arena in Sweden is Idrottshuset in Örebro. Idrottshuset was built 1946 with wooden benches on the stands and of course wooden parquet on the pitch but has only a seating capacity of 1400. I hope many games i futsallsvenskan will be played there in the future.

So the solution to the problem is to discuss across all indoor sports about how to make sure we can coexist on a specific pitch. I am sure there are (expensive?) types of surfaces out there available if we only discuss and try to collaborate.

Forza/Ove







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