As a coach and proponent of player development, I spend a lot of time thinking about the best way to develop players, improve their skills and give them confidence. Training and drills is an option and definitely part of the process, but playing, that’s where the magic happens. And to increase player touches, small sided soccer on a quick surface adds to that magic….and that’s why I have always been a big fan of Futsal. If we are to develop top quality soccer players in Eau Claire, we need to focus on player development. We do not have numbers on our side, we just don’t. Eau Claire has approx. 65,000 and when we add in the surrounding communities we get to maybe 100,000. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro market has approx. 3.8M people. When it comes to resources, available player pool, etc. we can’t compete with that, so, we focus on player development. And Futsal is a great option.
Futsal–A Little Background
Futsal, (literally “mini-football”), is a form of soccer played on a hard court or smooth surface (field turf) that is smaller than a normal soccer pitch and mainly played indoors. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a surface controlled by lines…..walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller, harder ball. The surface, ball, and rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity, and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.
I heard about Futsal years ago when I was coaching and started bringing players to the Stillwater Dome over the winter of 2010. We had a quality group of 8th graders who were looking to prepare themselves for the high school game. They were also looking for another level of skill and competition to push their development forward. It worked. The game is fast, fun and forces you to improve your foot skills. Other teams I have coached have joined in the fun and development. Both girls teams I have coached had players participate in the winter program and it was a real boost to their development. I can say that each player involved improved their skill and confidence during the season.
Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center. We do have some options here in Eau Claire and Eau Claire United and the Sports Center have done a great job developing winter leagues for local players to build their game. The field turf and hard court are fast surfaces that force players to adapt, play quick and develop good feet. The chance to play over the winter is huge for development, so we have a great resource with the indoor sports center. So what is the difference in playing Futsal and playing in the indoor leagues at the Sports Center. Basically it is the field size, ball and structure of the sports center fields with walls. Traditional Futsal has lines and no walls. Players tend to use the walls to pass or to beat a defender. Your pass does not need to be as accurate when there are walls, the ball always stays in play, so there are no penalties for a poor pass. The ball used is also a big difference. Futsal uses a smaller, harder, heavier ball. The concept is the ball stays on the ground and does not bounce as much. It promotes passing and quick play. The standard ball tends to bounce around and players are forced to get the ball back on the ground in order to play quick. 5v5 is also a great concept. 4 players on the field mean a ton of touches for every player. The only other difference is the competition. The Futsal games in the Cities provide an opportunity to test yourself against the best players in that area, clubs like Salvo and St. Croix and others all have teams participate. No walls replicates the full game much better and really forces the players to focus on touch and passing to feet. Both Futsal and Indoor Sports Center provide great winter options. Either option, a Futsal league or winter leagues at Sports Center provide great opportunities to develop skills. We are pretty fortunate in a small town to have an indoor facility for winter work…maybe someday there will be a true indoor soccer facility without walls….but until I hit the lottery we are thankful for the Sports Center.
U14 Girls. A group of players from the U14G team has joined a Futsal league the past two years. I have the pleasure of coaching the girls for ECU and recently had an opportunity to watch them play one of their Futsal games. They have 6-7 girls and play 5 v 5 at the Stillwater Dome. The other thing I love is their concept for rotation. The team plays a 1-3 or 2-2 formation. About every two minutes or so, they rotate. The player coming into the game goes into the defensive spot. All the other players rotate clockwise and one of the offensive players comes off the field. The concept is simple…force the players to play every position to build their game. It is noticeable when a player gets “out of position”. Defenders are uncomfortable playing up top on offense. Forwards are uncomfortable playing back on defense as the lone defender. But in this case, being uncomfortable is a good thing. It forces growth and development. Games are 25 minute halves so lots of touches, passes and game play. I also love there is no coaching. The girls coach themselves. The parent “coaches” are just there to make sure they rotate properly. Great to see the girls learning the game and pushing each other. The game is the best teacher. In all the videos you will see below, not one coach yelling to make a pass. It is all about the girls working it out and understanding the flow of the game. Love it!
I had the chance to take some video of the game and wanted to share some of the highlights. One thing to point out is that as these players move into high school, the game gets faster. Learning to play quick is good. Learning to play 1 and 2 touch soccer is critical for success at the next level. As well, ball movement is critical. The ball moves faster than players, so if you can move the ball quickly, it is hard to defend and usually leads to a successful outcome.
I dropped this goal in because it shows off something I love in soccer. Getting lots of players involved and playing fast generally leads to great success. 3 of the 4 field players touch the ball and it all starts with pressing an offensive player to create a turnover and then quickly capitalizing on that. I love that the ball dropped back and that then a player attacked aggressively into space, forced a defender to commit and then played the perfect pass! Boom! Goal! This is the lesson to really learn as you develop as a soccer player. One v One is fun and required, but for team success, learn to play fast, 1-2 touch soccer and get everyone involved.
Here is a great example with a shot at the end for a goal. Off a corner, there is a turnover, but then a great defensive step wins back the ball, from there a few quick touches, a great drop pass and then the beauty of the game….an attacking play with quick feet beats a defender and then boom! Another goal! A fun night of soccer and some excellent play as well. Good stuff and great player development!!