Futsal Foundations: As the Game Continues to Grow, Sweden, Tasmania Taking Developmental Steps

In Sweden:

Per Broberg, the manager for the Swedish FA's futsal development program, was recently quoted by Futsal Focus. Sweden will launch its first national league in 2014, a step similar to one taken several years ago in England and more recently by Wales.

Swedish international futsal player Dan Monell.

Although adult futsal is played in scatted locations in the United States, as yet there is no national league.

But in one respect, the U.S. is ahead of Sweden, having fielded a futsal national team since the late 1980s. Sweden launched its national team in the fall of 2012 and played its first friendly game in December of that year against France with 2,000 people watching.
 

The Swedish national team did take a major step, qualifying for UEFA's European Futsal Championship's main round in its first attempt. Wins over Israel, Andorra and Estonia enable the team to advance from the preliminary round, an achievement Per Broberg said was beyond expectations.
 

"Now we are taking the next step in the sport's development," Broberg said. 

In 2014-15, Broberg said a national competition consisting of eight regions with a total of 60 teams would begin qualification play for the national league. That stage would take place from November to January, with 16 teams advancing to playoffs in February. Sixteen of those would then start play in Sweden's National Futsal League in the fall of 2014.
 

"We believe it's good to open up as many as 16 teams in the beginning," Broberg told Futsal Focus. "In time, I imagine that it will narrow to 10 or 12 teams.'
 

Broberg said he anticipates the national league being organized in two divisions, north and south, with eight teams apiece. The top teams in each division would meet in playoffs at the end of the season, with some additional competition between national and regional league teams figuring in the equation along the way. 

Once the national league's fully operating, Broberg said the schedule would run from October to February with playoffs in March.

"We need a longer season if we are going to develop the players," he said.

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In Tasmania:

Most Americans and Canadians are familiar with the Tasmanian Devil

As in the U.S., Youth futsal in Tasmania is played on courts marked for other sports.

cartoon figure -- but what about the actual country?

Tasmania, a large island and a series of smaller ones, is located off the southeastern edge of Australia and is part of the the Australian Commonwealth. It has around 500,000 people (learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmania). But among those half million are 2,000 futsal players involved in Tasmanian FA leagues, according to an article Andrew Cooling wrote for 936 ABC Hobart.

In "Futsal developing future Tasmanian stars," Cooling said the game is growing in popularity and is available to males and females at both the youth and adult levels.

Reporting to an audience that may be new to the sport, the author lists futsal's benefits, game format etc., concluding, "... the game is increasingly being seen as the idea tool for developing younger players for the outdoor game."

Tasmania FA officer Anthony Alexander emphasized the developmental advantages for players in younger age groups.

"It's a great game for developing 1v1 skills," Alexander said. "Playing in such a high pressure environment improves skills, ball control and importantly it forces players to use both their left and right foot in tight spaces.

"In the off-season I encourage all my players to go out and play futsal. Playing in a non-coached environment helps them to make decisions for themselves."

Cooling quotes Liam Scott, a senior (adult) player on a Tasmanian state outdoor team, roughly a regional team, who played futsal as a youth.

"I started playing futsal back in high school as it was really encouraged as a great game to develop skills," Scott is quoted as saying. "The key thing is you're on the ball a lot more in futsal and always involved in the play. I feel it has really helped my outdoor game and it's something I believe all juniors should play.

"In Tasmania at the moment we are trying to make our outdoor sides a lot stronger, so getting juniors into futsal is only going to help that."