Futsal is FIFA's official indoor soccer game which is, essentially, a scaled down version of outdoor soccer played indoors. It is a small sided game (5v5) played on a smaller field (roughly basketball court sized) with a smaller low bounce ball. The ball forces a player to use their skill rather than the ball’s bounce to propel it. Futsal is played with touchline boundaries. There are no walls in play. This is the game that outdoor soccer players around the globe play when they are indoors to refine and maintain their control skills and touch. It is superior to walled soccer in terms of developing better skills and technique. In traditional American walled soccer, players regularly kick the ball against the boards which promotes improper technique and too often rewards errant play. In Futsal, players are constantly reminded to play the same quality control game that is required for success in the outdoor game. Futsal develops the overall fundamentals of soccer more effectively.

Futsal is the only "Official form of Indoor Soccer" as approved by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA. It is played in all the continents of the world by over 100 countries with 12 million players. Futsal is normally played on a gymnasium floor, although it can be played on a variety of surfaces. Because the sport is a great skill developer, demanding quick reflexes, fast thinking, pin-point passing, and a four-second limit on all play restarts it is an exciting game for children as well as adults. Great soccer superstars such as Pele, Zico, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, and Socrates grew up playing the game and credit Futsal with developing their skills.

History

The origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCAs. The game is played on basketball-sized courts, both indoors and out without the use of sidewalls. The term FUTSAL is the international term used for the game. It is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word for "soccer", FUTbol or FUTebol, and the French or Spanish word for "indoor", SALon or SALa. The game is frequently referred to as Five-A-Side. Once Ceriani got the ball rolling, Futsal gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil. The skill developed in this game is visible in the world-famous style the Brazilians display outdoors on the full-sized field. While Brazil continues to be the Futsal hub of the world, the game is now played, under the auspices of FIFA, all over the world, from Europe to North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania. The first international competition took place in 1965, when Paraguay won the first South American Cup. Six more South American Cups were held through to 1979, with Brazil winning all of them. Brazil continued its dominance with a victory in the first Pan American Cup in 1980 and won it again the next time it was played in 1984. The first Futsal World Championship conducted under the auspices of FIFUSA (before its members integrated into FIFA in 1989) was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, with Brazil finishing in first place. The Brazilians repeated as champions at the second World Championship in 1985 in Spain, but lost in the third World Championship in 1988 in Australia to Paraguay. FIFA took over direct sponsorship of the event in 1989 in Holland and 1992 in Hong Kong. Brazil won both times. The Third FIFA World Futsal Championship was held in 1996, in Spain. The Fourth at most recent FIFA Futsal World Championship was held in Guatemala 2000. In Europe, Futsal is fairly new to UEFA; however the popularity of Futsal has led to the introduction of the European Futsal Championship. The opening championship ended in a dramatic final that took place in Granada, Spain, in February 1999, when Russia defeated Spain in a penalty shoot out, after a 3-3 draw. Spain was crowned European Champions in 2001 in Moscow, beating the Russians in their own back yard. However the Spanish lost their European crown to Italy who won the 2003 Championships held in Caserta, Italy.