FAQ

For Rules of Futsal and OCFL go to our Rule Page

Futsal is played in School gyms across the city (mainly West End for now). It is 5 aside and no walls are used. We use a low bounce ball which promotes ball control. Please check out Fifa's laws of Futsal.

Futsal is FIFA's official indoor soccer game which is, essentially, a scaled down version of outdoor soccer played indoors. It is a small sided game (5v5) played on a smaller field (roughly basketball court sized) with a smaller (Size 3-4) ball. Futsal is played with touchline boundaries.

There are no walls in play. This is the game that outdoor soccer players around the globe play when they are indoors to refine and maintain their control skills and touch.

It is superior to walled soccer in terms of developing better skills and technique.

In traditional walled soccer, players regularly whack the ball (and sometimes their bodies) against the boards which promote improper technique and too often reward errant play. In Futsal, players are constantly reminded to play the same quality control game that is required for success in the outdoor game.

Futsal is the onlyindoor game sanctioned by FIFA. If skills development is important, Futsal is recognized as clearly the best form of indoor soccer. But that's not the only reason.

   * Better Skills Development - Futsal promotes quality touches

   * Safer - Futsal eliminates the injuries associated with wallcollisions

    * Less Expensive - Futsal makes quality soccer more               affordable

Futsal is the new rage in North American soccer. However, as is often the case, the Canada is just catching on to what the world already knows. Superior soccer skill is built by simulating the outdoor game indoors with small sided games and a smaller ball. World famous clubs such as Ajax have used this approach for years. Futsal has been around for over fifty years but Canadian interest in soccer skill development has only recently focused attention on the training techniques used in successful soccer powerhouses such as Brazil, Holland, Germany, France, and Italy. So, Futsal has been around for many years but interest is just starting to explode in North America.

Soccer	Futsal (FIFA Indoor Rules)
#5 ball	#3 or #4 ball with reduced bounce
11 players	5 players
3 substitutions	Unlimited "flying" substitutions
Large Goal	Smaller 7v10 sized goal)
Throw-in	Kick-in
Main referee & two assistants (linesmen)	Main referee & one assistant
Running clock operated by main referee	running clock
45-minute halves	24-minute halves
No time-outs	1 time-out per team per half
Goal kicks	Goalkeeper throws ball back into play
No absolute time limit to restart play	4-second rule on restarts
Offside rule	No offsides called
6-second rule to put ball back into play	4-second rule to put ball back into play
Unlimited fouling	5-foul limit (and "no-wall" free kick)
No substitution for player sent off	Player sent off can be substituted for after 2 minutes
Corner kick placed in arc	Corner kick placed on corner
Slide Tackling Allowed	No slide tackles under any circumstances

The origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCAs.

The game is played on basketball-sized courts, both indoors and out without the use of sidewalls. The term FUTSAL is the international term used for the game. It is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word for "soccer", FUTbol or FUTebol, and the French or Spanish root word for "indoor" or "room", SALon or Salle or SALa. Taken literally, Futbol means 'foot and ball' (i.e. playing outdoors) and Futsal indicates 'Futbol in room' (i.e. playing indoors).

The game is frequently referred to as Five-A-Side.

Futsal gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil. The skill developed in this game is visible in the world-famous style the Brazilians display outdoors on the full-sized field. Pele, Zico, Socrates, Bebeto and other Brazilian superstars developed their skill playing Futsal. While Brazil continues to be the Futsal hub of the world, the game is now played, under the auspices of FIFA, all over the world, from Europe to North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania.

 

The first international competition took place in 1965, when Paraguay won the first South American Cup. Six more South American Cups were held through 1979, with Brazil winning all of them. Brazil continued its dominance with a victory in the first Pan American Cup in 1980 and won it again the next time it was played in 1984.

 

The first Futsal World Championship conducted under the auspices of FIFUSA (before its members integrated into FIFA in 1989) was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, with Brazil finishing in first place. The Brazilians repeated as champions at the second World Championship in 1985 in Spain, but lost in the third World Championship in 1988 in Australia to Paraguay. FIFA took over direct sponsorship of the event in 1989 in Holland and 1992 in Hong Kong. Brazil won both times. The last world championship was held in Taiwan in 2004 with Spain winning .

 

Men's, and Coed leagues play on Wednesday nights. Start times are from 6 pm to 10 pm regulary.
Women's leagues play on Monday nights. Start times are from 6 pm to 10 pm.
Youth play on Saturday morning and afternoons. Some games may be played on other nights if gym space is tight for a certain week.

We play at different gymnasiums across the city. Going to our Gym Page you will see a list of the different gyms.

Good Question. Here is a document with the Gym Markings that we use.

You may register up to 10 players on a team. You may then add 4 extra players for a cost of $20 each over the regular team fee. Registration begins in August and ends in October.

Yes, contact your league co-ordinator.

The season starts in Mid October and end in late March/Early April. An End of Season Tournament is then played in April with all the teams participating. This is about 20-25 regular season games and another 3 minimum end of season games.