619 Futsal in San Diego doing its part in helping to make stars

Game action from 619 Futsal's first season in San Diego.

(The following article appeared on the Web site www.futsalnation.com in January under the headline "Futsal Helps Make Stars." It was written by Stephen Prendergast and is reprinted here with permission of the Web site's editor, Diane Brandis Scavuzzo.) 

By Stephen Prendergast

     Pelé. Ronaldo. Ronaldinho. Romario. Sócrates. Zico. Marta. The names read like a who’s-who of Brazilian soccer stars. And there are more who could be added to the list. But beyond being Brazilian stars, what do all of these great players have in common? Futsal. 

     What has been called the “funny little game with the heavy ball” is a huge part of what has made Brazil and Brazilian-trained players such a force in the beautiful game.

     It should be no surprise that futsal, which got its start in Uruguay in the 1930s but its real development in Brazil, has become a major factor in the success of these storied performers.

     A quick review of the numbers tells the tale: Fifteen of the FIFA 100 list of the 125 best living players are Brazilians, one more than either France or Italy, the runners-up in number of players. Eight of the eighteen men’s and five of the women’s FIFA World Player of the Year awards went to Brazilians. Finally, Brazilian players took four of the old Ballon d'Or awards for the European Player of the Year.

     What is it about futsal that creates such success? According to writer Daniel Coyle in The Talent Code, it is something he calls “deep practice.” Coyle points out that up until the late 1950s Brazilian were generally no more successful than many other players from impoverished countries. That clearly began to change when a generation of young players who had grown up on futsal began to hit the international pitch. It was the fast pace and repetition in futsal that helped to make the difference – the “deep practice” that Coyle describes.

     “One reason lies in the math. Futsal players touch the ball far more often than soccer players – six times more often per minute, according to a Liverpool University study” (Coyle, Talent Code). Touching the ball more often causes players to make more decisions and more mistakes – but it is precisely this that creates Coyle’s deep practice.

     And what of non-Brazilian players? No less a star than Lionel Messi, three-time winner of the FIFA men’s player of the year honor, cut his teeth on futsal in Argentina. Other well-known names that have benefited from futsal are Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain’s Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas.

     The good news is that you don’t have to be from Brazil to benefit from futsal. In San Diego, 619 Futsal has been growing since it first began the planning stages in early 2011. The first regular season featured 58 teams from U-8 through adult, and the Spring League is scheduled to begin March 11.

     Sean Bowers, owner of 619 Futsal and a former member of the U.S. National Futsal Team, started the club to give area players their opportunity to play and learn from the game.

619 Futsal owner Sean Bowers.

     “After 10 amazing years playing futsal against the top national teams in the world, I wanted to bring my experiences to my hometown of San Diego," said Bowers when he spoke with SoccerNation in the summer of 2011. "619futsal will provide a futsal league through which players of all ages and skill levels will have the opportunity to develop the technical side of their game.”

     619 Futsal is affiliated with U.S. Youth Futsal, the nation's only U.S. Soccer-sanctioned youth futsal league.

Bowers said he was extremely pleased with the results of the 619 Futsal Winter League, and was looking forward to an even better Spring. Because the high school soccer season will be over, he expects to see even more participation from the older youth players.

     “Our mission is to provide an environment for players of all levels and ages to play and learn the game of futsal,” said Bowers. “We do this by focusing on skill development and emphasizing fun over winning. We do our best to match teams of similar skill in appropriate divisions and age groups wherever we can.”

     Games are played on Sundays at the Miramar Fieldhouse Gym, which is located next to the Ned Baumer Aquatic Center on the Miramar College campus in San Diego.

     Learn more about 619 Futsal on its Web site, www.619futsal.com

There is also a profile of Sean Bowers and 619 Futsal posted on Feb. 26. Here's the link: http://www.soccernation.com/soccer-coach-and-former-futsal-world-cup-player-sean-bowers-one-on-one-cms-2389