Futsal in England
Encyclopedia
Futsal
is a growing sport in England
.
England has a national team
run by The Football Association
. The team was formed in 2003 and England were one of the last major sporting nations in Europe to have a national team.
The FA are running a three region national league system, the FA Futsal League
. It began in February 2008, and was the first official national league in England.
Futsal has become an increasingly popular sport among both adults and young children still at school, and among university students.
Futsal is also known to be an excellent tool in the development of young footballers with proven results in many of Europe's top football clubs.
In October 2002, the first international tournament in England was held in Chester, the British Isles Nations Futsal Cup. It was hosted by Tranmere Victoria, with 4 other teams from Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. One month later the first national tournament was organised by the Sheffield Hallamshire FA. 10 teams took part and there was also a women's invitation match. Tranmere Victoria won the tournament and by doing so they were later chosen by the FA to be the first team to represent England in the UEFA Futsal Cup
. Both the FA
and FIFA
had representatives at the tournament, there were also members of the British Universities Sport’s Association present. The future of futsal in England was discussed and the FIFA representative stated that they would support the FA in developing the refereeing and coaching programmes necessary for the development of the game in England. The possibilities of establishing a national team was also discussed. In early 2003 it was revealed that the first official national cup was to be organised by the FA would take place during the summer. Regional qualifying leagues were set up independent of the FA in Sheffield, Pendle, Wirral, London, Cheltenham and Grimsby, with the winners and runners-up qualifying for the FA Futsal Cup
. Prior to the tournament was the London Cup and by this time teams were beginning to play more friendly matches against other than in the past. The first FA Futsal Cup took place in July at the Army Physical Training Centre
in Aldershot, with teams divided into 2 groups of 6. An invitation was also extended to an Army team, as the Army Football Association
. Sheffield Hallam won the cup and would enter as England’s representatives in the 2004–05 UEFA Futsal Cup
.
In 2003 an England select team travelled to their first world championships as a pilot for international competition. Up against some the best in the world, a team of semi-professional and university players took part in games against Iran
, Uzbekistan
and Indonesia
.
In November 2003, the Futsal England Trophy was organised by Futsal England and sanctioned by the FA, in Cheltenham. The best futsal teams in England at the time were involved as well teams from Spain, one team from Canada and one from Moldova. Sheffield Hallam won the tournament and became the first team win both of the domestic titles at the same time.
In December 2003, manager of the England Futsal team
, Graeme Dell
put together an initial squad of 25 players selected to take part in a four-day training weekend in Lilleshall
, in preparation for the qualifiers for the 2005 UEFA Futsal Championship
. They then travelled to Portugal for further training and to play two games against Sporting CP and Sassoeiros. The preliminary selection was then cut down to a final squad of just 12 players who traveled to Albania for the qualifiers in January 2004. England lost both matches, losing 8-6 to Albania and 8-4 to Cyprus.
For the 2004 FA Futsal Cup, there were more qualifying leagues than the previous year, with the teams progressing from regional leagues in Bristol, Birmingham, London, Wirral, Derby, Pendle, Hull, Manchester, Gloucestershire, Sheffield, Grimsby, Oxford and Cumbria. This time the finals were held at the Sheffield Institute of Sport and 16 teams competed, split up into 4 groups in the first round. There was also a youth championship. Team USSR won the cup, beating Tranmere Victoria in the final.
In July 2004, Jay Corran and Andrew Reading became England's first professional Futsal players when they signed by Romanian futsal club ACS Odorheiu Secuiesc from Tranmere Victoria.
By 2005 regional tournaments were more common, some drawing teams from around the country, like the North East Futsal Open. In 2005, a invitational tournament was held at Lilleshall
, the FA Training base in Shropshire. The 5 best teams in the country were invited to take part by then manager of the England Futsal team, Graeme Dell
. The first unofficial national league took place in 2006, the Futsal Premier League. Although two years the later in 2008, the FA Futsal League
was formed.
tournaments in local areas (such as the Grimsby tournament) or the York University PWC Open
which features many different university teams competing against one another. As of 2010, there are many local leagues dotted around the country.
English teams are becoming more and more interested in traveling abroad to continue to learn Futsal. Teams travel to a variety of locations to participate in tournaments at a variety of levels. The four-day International Universities Totelos Tournament has involved numerous British universities. Participants have included York St John's College, the University of East Anglia, the University of York, the University of Glamorgan, and the University of Gloucester, as well as a few independent teams formerly associated with various universities. The University of East Anglia and the University of York have achieved top 10 finishes.
The British University Championship has been held each year since 2004, the winners of the tournament now represent Great Britain in the World University Championships. Before the squad was made up of students selected from different universities. In the squad that was selected for the 2004 tournament, only two that were picked had previous experience playing Futsal, as the coach only had a short space of time to get a team together.
was formed in 2003 and they play their home matches at various venues around the country. The current manager is Peter Sturgess. They play friendlies every year and take part in European Four Nations tournaments. England entered qualification for the UEFA Futsal Championship
for the first time in January 2004 and took part in qualifying for the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time in 2008. England are yet to qualify for either tournament. England also played in the 'Kuala Lumpur World 5's tournament' in Malaysia in 2008, losing every game.
began in 2008 and currently features 22 teams in 3 conferences; 7 in the Northern Conference, 7 in the Midlands Conference and 8 in the Southern Conference. It is the highest level of futsal within England, with the winners and runners-up of the 3 conferences advancing to an end of season tournament to determine the national champions and England's representatives in the UEFA Futsal Cup
.
, the Thornaby Pavilion in Middlesbrough
, the Bonus Arena in Hull
, the National Cycling Centre
in Manchester
, Leeds University
and the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool
.
The teams involved are as follows:
The teams involved are as follows:
The teams involved are as follows:
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
is a growing sport in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
England has a national team
England national futsal team
The England national futsal team represents England during international futsal competitions. It is under the direction of The Football Association. Although Futsal in England has been around for a number of years, the national team was first formed in 2003, after Futsal started to gain popularity...
run by The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
. The team was formed in 2003 and England were one of the last major sporting nations in Europe to have a national team.
The FA are running a three region national league system, the FA Futsal League
FA Futsal League
The FA Futsal League began in 2008 and features 24 teams in 3 regions: North, Midlands and South. It is the highest level of futsal within England...
. It began in February 2008, and was the first official national league in England.
Futsal has become an increasingly popular sport among both adults and young children still at school, and among university students.
Futsal is also known to be an excellent tool in the development of young footballers with proven results in many of Europe's top football clubs.
History
During the 1990's the first few futsal teams started to emerge in England, although there was very few teams and had to travel to mainland Europe to take part in tournaments or organise their own matches within the club. In 2001 the first futsal league in England was formed, the Pendle Futsal League based in Lancashire.In October 2002, the first international tournament in England was held in Chester, the British Isles Nations Futsal Cup. It was hosted by Tranmere Victoria, with 4 other teams from Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. One month later the first national tournament was organised by the Sheffield Hallamshire FA. 10 teams took part and there was also a women's invitation match. Tranmere Victoria won the tournament and by doing so they were later chosen by the FA to be the first team to represent England in the UEFA Futsal Cup
UEFA Futsal Cup
The UEFA Futsal Cup is an annual futsal competition for European club teams. It was founded in 2001–02, replacing the Futsal European Clubs Championship, a former competition never recognized as official, despite their 15 editions. The final of the 1st edition was disputed as a single game in...
. Both the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
had representatives at the tournament, there were also members of the British Universities Sport’s Association present. The future of futsal in England was discussed and the FIFA representative stated that they would support the FA in developing the refereeing and coaching programmes necessary for the development of the game in England. The possibilities of establishing a national team was also discussed. In early 2003 it was revealed that the first official national cup was to be organised by the FA would take place during the summer. Regional qualifying leagues were set up independent of the FA in Sheffield, Pendle, Wirral, London, Cheltenham and Grimsby, with the winners and runners-up qualifying for the FA Futsal Cup
FA Futsal Cup
The FA Futsal Cup is a national competition organised by the Football Association in the game of futsal.In 2005, Doncaster College for the Deaf became the first disability side to win a major open football competition.-Winners:*2003 - Sheffield Hallam...
. Prior to the tournament was the London Cup and by this time teams were beginning to play more friendly matches against other than in the past. The first FA Futsal Cup took place in July at the Army Physical Training Centre
Army School of Physical Training
The Army School of Physical Training is the headquarters of the British Army Physical Training Corps and the central training establishment for physical education, physical fitness and sports instructors in the British Army. It is located in Hammerseley Barracks and Fox Lines, Aldershot,...
in Aldershot, with teams divided into 2 groups of 6. An invitation was also extended to an Army team, as the Army Football Association
Army Football Association
Based at Clayton Barracks in Aldershot, the Army Football Association is the County FA affiliated to The Football Association for the administration of football within the British Army in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Germany....
. Sheffield Hallam won the cup and would enter as England’s representatives in the 2004–05 UEFA Futsal Cup
2004–05 UEFA Futsal Cup
The 2004–05 UEFA Futsal Cup is the 19th edition of Europe's premier club futsal tournament and the 4th edition under the current UEFA Futsal Cup format.-Preliminary round:-Group 1:-Group 2:-Group 3:-Group 4:-Group 5:-Group 6:-Group 7:...
.
In 2003 an England select team travelled to their first world championships as a pilot for international competition. Up against some the best in the world, a team of semi-professional and university players took part in games against Iran
Iran national futsal team
The Iran national futsal team represents Iran in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Futsal Commission of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation. The "Kings of Asian Futsal" have won almost all editions of Asian Futsal Championship and are the 6th strongest team in...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan national futsal team
The Uzbekistan national futsal team is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for futsal in Uzbekistan and represents the country in international futsal competitions, such as World Cup and the Asian Futsal Championship....
and Indonesia
Indonesia national futsal team
Indonesian national futsal team has played seven times at the ASEAN Futsal Championship and six times in AFC Futsal Championship. The team has won the ASEAN Futsal Championship once in 2010.-FIFA Futsal World Championship:-AFC Futsal Championship:...
.
In November 2003, the Futsal England Trophy was organised by Futsal England and sanctioned by the FA, in Cheltenham. The best futsal teams in England at the time were involved as well teams from Spain, one team from Canada and one from Moldova. Sheffield Hallam won the tournament and became the first team win both of the domestic titles at the same time.
In December 2003, manager of the England Futsal team
England national futsal team
The England national futsal team represents England during international futsal competitions. It is under the direction of The Football Association. Although Futsal in England has been around for a number of years, the national team was first formed in 2003, after Futsal started to gain popularity...
, Graeme Dell
Graeme Dell
Graeme Dell was employed as The Football Association's National Futsal Coach and has been in that position since The FA started their Futsal programme in 2003, when he led the first ever England Futsal team in the 2004 UEFA Futsal Championships...
put together an initial squad of 25 players selected to take part in a four-day training weekend in Lilleshall
Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...
, in preparation for the qualifiers for the 2005 UEFA Futsal Championship
2005 UEFA Futsal Championship
The 2005 UEFA Futsal Championship was the 5th official edition of the UEFA-governed European Championship for national futsal teams. It was held in Ostrava, Czech Republic, between 14 February and 20 February 2005. Recent world champions Spain regained their European title with victory over rivals...
. They then travelled to Portugal for further training and to play two games against Sporting CP and Sassoeiros. The preliminary selection was then cut down to a final squad of just 12 players who traveled to Albania for the qualifiers in January 2004. England lost both matches, losing 8-6 to Albania and 8-4 to Cyprus.
For the 2004 FA Futsal Cup, there were more qualifying leagues than the previous year, with the teams progressing from regional leagues in Bristol, Birmingham, London, Wirral, Derby, Pendle, Hull, Manchester, Gloucestershire, Sheffield, Grimsby, Oxford and Cumbria. This time the finals were held at the Sheffield Institute of Sport and 16 teams competed, split up into 4 groups in the first round. There was also a youth championship. Team USSR won the cup, beating Tranmere Victoria in the final.
In July 2004, Jay Corran and Andrew Reading became England's first professional Futsal players when they signed by Romanian futsal club ACS Odorheiu Secuiesc from Tranmere Victoria.
By 2005 regional tournaments were more common, some drawing teams from around the country, like the North East Futsal Open. In 2005, a invitational tournament was held at Lilleshall
Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...
, the FA Training base in Shropshire. The 5 best teams in the country were invited to take part by then manager of the England Futsal team, Graeme Dell
Graeme Dell
Graeme Dell was employed as The Football Association's National Futsal Coach and has been in that position since The FA started their Futsal programme in 2003, when he led the first ever England Futsal team in the 2004 UEFA Futsal Championships...
. The first unofficial national league took place in 2006, the Futsal Premier League. Although two years the later in 2008, the FA Futsal League
FA Futsal League
The FA Futsal League began in 2008 and features 24 teams in 3 regions: North, Midlands and South. It is the highest level of futsal within England...
was formed.
Grassroots
Futsal at a grass-roots level includes a number of local tournaments for universities,tournaments in local areas (such as the Grimsby tournament) or the York University PWC Open
which features many different university teams competing against one another. As of 2010, there are many local leagues dotted around the country.
English teams are becoming more and more interested in traveling abroad to continue to learn Futsal. Teams travel to a variety of locations to participate in tournaments at a variety of levels. The four-day International Universities Totelos Tournament has involved numerous British universities. Participants have included York St John's College, the University of East Anglia, the University of York, the University of Glamorgan, and the University of Gloucester, as well as a few independent teams formerly associated with various universities. The University of East Anglia and the University of York have achieved top 10 finishes.
The British University Championship has been held each year since 2004, the winners of the tournament now represent Great Britain in the World University Championships. Before the squad was made up of students selected from different universities. In the squad that was selected for the 2004 tournament, only two that were picked had previous experience playing Futsal, as the coach only had a short space of time to get a team together.
National team
The England national futsal teamEngland national futsal team
The England national futsal team represents England during international futsal competitions. It is under the direction of The Football Association. Although Futsal in England has been around for a number of years, the national team was first formed in 2003, after Futsal started to gain popularity...
was formed in 2003 and they play their home matches at various venues around the country. The current manager is Peter Sturgess. They play friendlies every year and take part in European Four Nations tournaments. England entered qualification for the UEFA Futsal Championship
UEFA Futsal Championship
The UEFA Futsal Championship is the main futsal competition of the men's national futsal teams governed by UEFA .-Statistics:-Performance by nations:-External links:...
for the first time in January 2004 and took part in qualifying for the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time in 2008. England are yet to qualify for either tournament. England also played in the 'Kuala Lumpur World 5's tournament' in Malaysia in 2008, losing every game.
The FA Futsal League
The FA Futsal LeagueFA Futsal League
The FA Futsal League began in 2008 and features 24 teams in 3 regions: North, Midlands and South. It is the highest level of futsal within England...
began in 2008 and currently features 22 teams in 3 conferences; 7 in the Northern Conference, 7 in the Midlands Conference and 8 in the Southern Conference. It is the highest level of futsal within England, with the winners and runners-up of the 3 conferences advancing to an end of season tournament to determine the national champions and England's representatives in the UEFA Futsal Cup
UEFA Futsal Cup
The UEFA Futsal Cup is an annual futsal competition for European club teams. It was founded in 2001–02, replacing the Futsal European Clubs Championship, a former competition never recognized as official, despite their 15 editions. The final of the 1st edition was disputed as a single game in...
.
Northern Conference
The venues for the Northern Conference in 2010/11 are the Hillsborough Leisure Centre in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, the Thornaby Pavilion in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, the Bonus Arena in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, the National Cycling Centre
Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Leeds University
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
The teams involved are as follows:
| Leeds Futsal Club |
| East Coast Futsal |
| Liverpool Futsal Club |
| Manchester Futsal Club Manchester Futsal Club Manchester Futsal Club is an English futsal club, based in the Greater Manchester area who compete in the National FA Futsal League Northern Division. The club have participated in the division since its inception in late 2007. Prior to this, the team competed in the Manchester FA's regional futsal... |
| Middlesbrough Futsal Club Middlesbrough Futsal Club Middlesbrough Futsal Club is an English futsal club based in Middlesbrough in the North East of England, playing in The FA Futsal League North. The club was founded in 2007 and play their home matches in Thornaby-on-Tees a town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees.... |
| Sheffield FC Futsal Club |
| Tranmere Victoria Futsal Club |
Midlands Conference
The venues for the Midlands Conference are @Futsal Swindon, @Futsal Cardiff, the Birmingham International @Futsal Centre, Bath University, the point4 Centre in Hereford and the Sir John Beckwith Building in Loughborough.The teams involved are as follows:
| Chippenham Futsal Club |
| Hereford Futsal Club Hereford Futsal Club Hereford Futsal Club first season competing in the FA Futsal League.The squad is full of players from the United Kingdom as many of the players are recruited from a selection of teams from the 2 Hereford futsal leagues.-Current first team squad:... |
| Loughborough University |
| Team Bath Futsal Club Team Bath Futsal Club Team Bath Futsal Club regularly compete in the Somerset F.A. Futsal League in southwest England. They are also taking part in the newly created FA Futsal League.... |
| Team United Birmingham Futsal Club |
| Newbury Futsal Club |
| Cardiff City Futsal Club Cardiff Cymru Futsal Club Cardiff City Futsal Club, formly known as Cardiff Cymru Futsal Club, founded on July 1, 2010, Is the first Welsh Futsal club to be affiliated by both the Football Association of Wales & the South Wales Football Association... |
Southern Conference
The central venue for the Southern Conference is the Score Sport Centre in London, the other venues are the Nightingale Academy, Latchmere Leisure Centre and Brunel University.The teams involved are as follows:
| Baltic Futsal Club |
| FC Enfield |
| Genesis FC |
| Helvecia Futsal Helvécia Futsal Helvécia Futsal Club is a futsal club based in London, England .-UEFA Futsal Cup:-External links:*... |
| Kickers Futsal |
| London United Futsal Club |
| Spartans Futsal Club Spartans Futsal Club Spartans Futsal Club is a London based Futsal team, currently competing in the FA Futsal League - Southern Conference.-History:The club was founded in 2009 by former White Bear FC coach Oleksandr Saliy, who now is the president of Spartans. The club was formed after the merger FC White Bear and... |
| West London Futsal Club |