Courtesy: dailyrecord.co.uk

Futsal continues its growth in the country with introduction of the Scottish Cup

The game of futsal, in Scotland, was pioneered in Perth - now its popularity continues to grow with leagues cropping up across the country

It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country – and it all started in Perth.

Now futsal, a fast-paced five-a-side game played with a reduce bounce ball, is expanding even further with the introduction of a Scottish Cup competition for the very first time.

The draw for the last 16 took place on Friday morning, with three teams from the Fair City in the hat and hopeful of progressing further.

Scotland national futsal team’s head coach Mark Potter, from Perth, has watched with interest as the sport has rocketed in popularity, with new leagues cropping up on a near weekly basis.

And he believes the start-up of the Scottish Cup will only enhance the game further, saying: “A national cup competition was an important addition to the futsal sporting calendar.

“The regional leagues send their championship winning clubs to the national finals at the end of May. But the Scottish Futsal Cup really brings the futsal family together in a competition familiar to players across the globe.

“There was a 75 per cent entry from the 60 teams now registered in the SFL across Scotland and the challenges of travel and playing against new opponents encompass everything about the romance of the cup.

“The uptake of entries was far in excess of expectations and definitely reflects the enthusiasm for the sport in Scotland.”

Potter (49), a former coach of Fair City Santos, reckons the standard of futsal in Perth – and Scotland – is improving all of the time.

He explained: “The league in Perth is probably as strong now as it has ever been. There are slightly fewer teams in the league, but the number of participants has increased.

“That’s a reflection of the teams and managers understanding the demands of the game better now. The top division in Perth will be contested by at least five teams all capable of winning the title this year.

“And the regional leagues all have some outstanding teams, who continue to improve, thanks in part to the increased level of coach education available through the SFA, and the regular competitive games.

“Perth’s remaining representatives will have a decent chance in the Scottish Cup, especially Letham FC and FC Santos, but much will depend on the draw. The court facilities vary dramatically and a home tie is a definite advantage.

“Some of the very good teams are already out, but the Glasgow teams have a very high percentage of teams through to the third round from their league and I suspect that’s where the winners will come from.

“But Wattcell from Edinburgh are difficult to ignore. The third round is now national so will also present some challenges but the last 16 clubs will all fancy their chance of getting to the final in Dundee on April 3.”

Scotland entered a national team in European competition for the first time last year but failed to pick up a point after coming up against Sweden, Israel and Armenia in the preliminary group stage.

But plans are in place to continue the improvement and Potter said: “I always believed that it could reach this level, based on the global popularity of the sport elsewhere, especially in Europe. But I probably didn’t think it would take this long.

“There were a few false starts but as with all things timing is everything and I think the nation is ready to embrace the sport at all levels like never before.

“There will be more regional leagues joining the SFL set-up with a target of 8-10 regional competitions, at least 100 registered clubs and over 1500 registered players. Maintaining this structure and ensuring a sustainable competition is a big challenge but one which looks far more likely now than ever before.

“We’ve a long way to go but the possibilities are endless.

“A national league structure – the winning representatives from each league playing each other over a full league programme – should be possible in the very near future.

“It is great to see the progress being made now and to know that we started with very humble beginnings in Perth almost 20 years ago.”

Futsal in Perth takes place at Bell’s Sports Centre every Monday from 6.20pm. Entry to watch is free.




FP Staff --> info@futsalplanet.com