Youth Soccer: Futsal Drives Home Ball Fundamentals

Many Albany youngsters stepped onto the pitch like their favorite World Cup stars this summer, though on hardwood, rather than grass, after the Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club organized six Sundays of futsal for 8- and 10-year-olds.

Futsal, FIFA's official indoor soccer game, is a five-on-five match played on a hard surface with a ball that's less bouncy than those used on grass. The ball and smaller field mean players focus more on individual match-ups than on deep kicks.

"Pretty much that's the greatest advantage," said head coach Pablo Rodriguez. "It does create lots of opportunities where you see one-on-one situations, and it allows players to have lots of touches as well."

Volunteer parent Bob Cruikshank has two children who play in the league. Futsal is how children learn to play soccer in Brazil, he said, due to its dense urban setting. The South American country is one of the world's soccer powerhouses.

"What's nice about it is its big emphasis on short passing and skills," said Cruikshank. "You can see it in the Brazilian players as they play their game, the beautiful style of soccer. It's all about that and it comes from learning how to play futsal."

Teams play two 20-minute halves with a five-minute halftime. Each team is allowed a one-minute timeout per half. Goals are two meters high by three meters wide. For each five-player team, there is a goalie, forward, sweeper and a left/right wing. Goalies can be removed if there aren't enough players.

Matches were held at the James Kenney Recreation Center in Berkeley; they started July 11 and ran through Aug. 15.

Parents who'd like to know more about playing in the winter futsal league can e-mail club registrar Karen Steinmeyer. For more information on the Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club, visit its website.

Download the movie

Download the movie

Download the movie