It has been a long-held belief of many coaches that futsal is detrimental to the development of footballers, with some of the IFS Futsal State League players already being told that they are not allowed to play futsal next season despite this actually being against Football NSW regulations. Usually the motivation stems from a lack of knowledge of the sport with reasoning along the lines of, ‘increased injury risk opposed to football’, ‘interference with pre season preparation’, ‘develops bad habits’, all of which are the complete opposite to the actual outcomes.
Thankfully this trend is disappearing and many coaches are starting to realise the benefits of futsal and are encouraging players to play the game to further enhance their footballing repertoire.
One of the clear standout players for the Socceroos during the recent World Cup qualifiers, Tom Rogic, is Australia’s perfect example of the potential synergy between the two sports. Before being selected for the Nike Football Academy in 2011 and signing with the Central Coast Mariners in 2012, Rogic was honing his skills in the NSW Futsal Premier League and the Futsalroos in tandem with his early club football career.
The skills and techniques developed naturally over time by playing futsal are clearly evident in Tom Rogic while playing for both the Socceroos and Celtic. These include his strength on, and creativity with, the ball, superior running with the ball and his composure and ability to work in and out of very congested areas and create scoring chances from seemingly impossible situations. These are all scenarios that are constantly occurring within every futsal match coupled with repetition, allowing much greater refinement and development in a time frame that cannot be matched through training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dwjOhLbDh4
Leave a Reply