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FUTSAL
Futsal is a variant of association football that is mainly played indoors. Its name is derived from the
Portuguese futebol de salăo and the Spanish fútbol sala/de salón, which can be translated as 'indoor football'.
In Madrid 1985 the name fútbol de salón and all other names the game was called were changed officially and
internationally into FUTSAL.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper, and up to seven substitutes
per team. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the futsal is played on a hard court surface delimited by
lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regulation
football.The rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and
passing in small spaces.
Futsal is the only soccer version recognized by FIFA as the indoor soccer. With this the sport gained in importance, and it is
considered and there is a possibility that it becomes an Olympic sports soon which will, hopefully, finally get it a place that it deserves
the world of sports.
In the world there are about 30 million people involved in futsal in at least 100 countries around the world. In Italy,
for example, around 4 million people are engaged in futsal in parallel with the 1 million who play soccer.
The ratio here is similar, but, unlike Italy, the media exposure of futsal is insignificant.
However, in the last two or three years that has significantly changed, and there are more and more futsal fans.
The priority in Futsal is to motivate players in an environment that is conducive to learning. The more pleasure
kids derive from their participation, the more they wish to play and practice on their own. While their instinct
to play is natural, their affection and appreciation for soccer must be cultivated. Futsal is the foundation to
such goals because it:
* Allows players to frequently touch the one "toy" on the field, namely, the ball.
* Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often.
* Encourages regaining possession of the ball as a productive, fun and rewarding part of futsal (defending).
* Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom.
* Provides a well organized playing environment with improvised fields.
* Reflects the philosophy of player development expressed in state and national coaching schools.
* Eliminates complicated rules such as off-sides that may hinder youngsters from "playing".
* Reflects the appropriate roll of the coach as a Facilitator.
* Makes the game more "beginning coach" friendly because futsal is simpler, thus making it easier to recruit more volunteer "coaches".
* Allows the game to be the teacher!
HISTORY OF FUTSAL
Futsal was started in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani created a version of football for
competition in YMCAs. In Brazil, this version developed on the streets of Sao Paulo, and eventually a rule
book was published. Futsal began to spread across South America, and its popularity ensured that a governing
body was formed under the name of FIFUSA (Federación Internacional de Fútbol de Salón) in 1971, along with the
World Championships. The first FIFUSA World Championships were held in Săo Paulo, with hosts Brazil crowned
champions ahead of Paraguay and Uruguay. Even more countries participated in the second World Championships
held in Madrid in 1985. Due to a dispute between FIFA and FIFUSA over the administration of fútbol, FIFUSA
coined the word fut-sal in 1985.
FIFA took control of the World Championships in 1989. Under new rules made by FIFA, the technical aspects of futsal
for players and spectators were improved. The linesmen were replaced with a second referee and there were
unlimited substitutions. It also introduced a size 4 football, which was weighted to reduce bounce by 30%
compared to a conventional ball, which enabled faster play and, for the first time, scoring goals with the head.
FIFA's relationships with its member associations allowed more countries to gain knowledge and resources about
futsal. FIFA soon began to administer its own indoor football games, hosting its first FIFA Indoor Soccer World
Championship in 1989 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In 1992 it was the FIFA Five-a-Side World Championship (Hong Kong)
and since 1996 it has been called the FIFA Futsal World Championship. Thanks to the increase of the number of nations
that participated in the FIFA Futsal World Championships held in 2000, Brazil's dominance in the competition was
ended by Spain.
In 2004, members of PANAFUTSAL (La Confederación Panamericana de Futsal, The Pan-American Futsal Confederation)
formed AMF (Asociación Mundial de Fútbol de Salón, World Futsal Association), an international futsal governing
body independent of FIFA. Both FIFA and AMF continue to administer the game.
FUTSAL IN THE WORLD
In the 55 years of "written" history, futsal has never developed as today. Although from the very beginning, futsal
enjoyed great popularity wherever it appeared and popularization and expansion never happened faster than it is
today. In Japan futsal now enjoys great popularity even though it appeared relatively recently.
Although in some texts the figure cited is 30 million active, registered futsal players in the world, we are
probably closer to around 20 million. However number of futsal players that are playing this game recreationaly is
probably 4-5 times higher. It is a figure which guarantees that futsal will soon become an olympic sport.
The world's most developed futsal countries are in Western Europe and South America.
In these countries, its popularity allows futsal greater media interest, and a result are the sponsors
and money. Of course with the growth of the money that is "turning" around futsal, grows the quality of futsal
players and organization, which in turn provides an even greater popularity. This "vicious
circle" of futsal, fans and money has led to great popularity of futsal in countries such as Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany,
England, Japan etc.
At matches of Spain Primera in Futsal it is not rare that even 20,000 fans attend. Each club in these leagues
has its suporter teams, and the Brazilian national futsal team fans travel to the farthest corner
of the World to watch their matches.
FUTSAL IN CROATIA
Despite a long tradition of playing "indoor soccer" in Croatia, it can be said that futsal is still in bandages.
This can be seen in refereeing where the application of certain rules of futsala is determined by (no) knowledge
of referees, which applie these rules inconsistently so that the system of refereeing differs from tournament
to tournament.
Croatia currently has 2105 registered futsal players who play within 103 futsal clubs that are registered with
the HNS. This number is negligible to the number of players who are engaged in recreational futsal and those
amateurs perform in various more or less known leagues, cups and tournaments.
Croatian futsal team has been performing for some time within UEFA championship and UEFA Cup but without noticable results.
This says more about insufficient investment in this sport then on quality of our futsal players.
Croatia Futsal League is divided into First Croatian Futsal League and Second Croatian Futsal League.
Twelve teams currently comprise the league. The Croatian First League winner is entered into the UEFA Futsal Cup.
Croatian Futsal Cup is also played within the league.
A large part of Croatia futsal "scene" takes place in various competitions, leagues and tournaments:
* KUTIJA ŠIBICA
* LIGA POZNATIH
* SVEUČILIŠNA LIGA
* LIGA KATOLIČKE MLADEŽI
* HRT LIGA
* LIGA MENADŽERA
"Kutija šibica" is the biggest tournament in Croatia and it is held in Zagreb. It was first organized in 1970.
and only eight teams participated. The first champions were "Končar I". Today over 250 teams apply for the
tournament. The next biggest futsal tournament is "Torcida kup" wich is played in Split. It has been played for 15 years.
Around 150 teams applyed this year. University futsal league is probably the only league except First and Second
Croatia Futsal League in which futsal rules are obeyed. Croatian team have had some succes lately and they are playing
better and better futsal. Zagreb University won third place in the European Championship this year by beating Portugal and
once again proved that it belongs in top of European University futsal.
The biggest problem of such competitions are non-standard rules and propositions.
The Croatian Football Federation definitely has a lot of work to do to introduce order in to Croatian futsal.
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