Futsal is a type of football game that is played on a hard court and mostly indoors. Futsal is also known as footsal and played on a court smaller than a football pitch. This game is between two opposing teams, each with five players, one of which is the goalkeeper. The field where the game is played is called a Futsal Field or a Futsal Court. Compared to football, Futsal is played over 20 minutes for each half and uses a ball smaller than the normal football. Less bounce can be also observed during a game of Futsal.

The History of Futsal

Early beginnings of Futsal started back in 1930. The game was created by a teacher in Uruguay, Juan Carlos Ceriani, and an indoor version of football to be introduced and played in the YMCAs. His aim was mainly to create a game similar to football that can be played both indoors and outdoors. Futsal was created to be played within a basketball court. Futsal’s official rules were completed and published 3 years after in September 1933. Futsal easily attracted many practitioners after Uruguay, the founding nation, won the 1930 World Cup. The Futsal creator also took inspiration from several other sports when he was creating Futsal. Five team members per game were taken from basketball, goalkeeper rules were taken from water polo. The field and goal size used for Futsal was inspired by team handball games. Futsal rules were modified in 1956 and were later on adapted for the international level games.

Governing Bodies for Futsal

Futsal is governed by two significant governing bodies. These include the AMF, the Asociacion Mundial de Futsal and the FIFA or the Federation Internationale de Football Association. FIFA was the last one who took an interest in Futsal. However, FIFA and AMF were unable to reconcile to govern the game successfully. Due to this, FIFA organizes its own separate competitions, ungoverned by the AMF. Another governing body that offers and manages Futsal tournaments internationally is the IFA or the International Futsal Alliance. Members under the IFA include countries such as Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceana and North, and South America. All over the globe, there are local and national governing bodies for Futsal that are categorized under AMF-affiliated and FIFA-Affiliated governing bodies.