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Futsal Ball

Futsal Ball? Huh? What is that? Those were my first thoughts when my friend asked me if I wanted to go play. I have never heard of this sport before and thought he was joking with me. I found out that in fact it is a very real sport that thousands of people all over the world participate in. If you don’t have a clue what it is or how to play it either like I did, let me give you a little refresher course on the sport.

In a nutshell, the game futsal is a spin on association football. It’s usually played indoors though in a gym, not outside on a field of grass.  Translated, futsal ball means “hall football” as it’s name is taken from the Spanish “futbol de salon.”  To play you’ll need two teams consisting of five players on each team.  There is one goalkeeper per team from the five players, so you have four actual players and one goalie.

Now, in order for you to be able to play futsal properly, you’re going to need one very important piece of equipment–a futsal ball. Yes, there is special ball for this sport. I learned that the main difference between a traditional soccer ball and a futsal ball is that the latter’s bladder is stuffed with foam. Having the inside filled with this foam makes the futsal ball significantly heavier and have less bounce. This works well being that the game is played indoors on a hard surface.

If you are looking for a futsal ball, then you’ve literally got a never ending supply of retailers to choose from, but before you just go and buy any old futsal ball though, you might want to know that there are different sizes of these playing balls.  Let me give you a quick breakdown of what the sizes are all about.  The futsal ball traditionally comes in a size 3 which is smaller than the traditional size 5 for a soccer ball, although a size 4 is usually used for international play.

Size 3 Balls

• Size 3 balls are the smallest balls and are generally used for children under the age of 8
• These balls are generally 23-24 inches in circumference and weigh between 11-12 ounces

Size 4 Balls

• Size 4 balls are used for players between the ages of 8-12
• Size 4 balls weigh between 12-13 ounces and have a circumference of 25-26 inches

Size 5 Balls

• This is the international standard match ball for all ages 12 and older, including all adult play
• The size 5 ball weighs between 14-16 ounces with a circumference of 27-28 inches

Now, that you know about the different sizes of futsal balls, let’s talk a little bit about the different types of Futsal organizations in the United States.

Currently, at this time there are three main Futsal organizations in the U.S.  You’ve got the Super F League, U.S. Court Soccer Federation and U.S. Futsal Federation. The Super F League is affiliated with U.S. Soccer and FIFA. The U.S. Court Soccer Federation in affiliated the the Asociación Mundial de Futsal, the original governing body for Futsal in the world. The U.S. Futsal Federation was at one time affiliated with U.S. Soccer and FIFA but has no affiliation at the moment.

Playing the game of Futsal with a futsal ball is gaining much popularity in the U.S.  The reason for this is because it can be played just about anywhere indoors where there is an indoor court.  It’s the perfect game for the inner city Boys and Girls Clubs that sometimes only have access to a concrete surface where there are not even any basketball hoops.  Playing the sport is enjoyable and not at all hard to learn.  Let’s break it down for you now.

All that is needed to play the game, Futsal officially is a basketball court, two indoor goals and the correct playing futsal ball. If you don’t have that you can use any surface, a couple of jackets and any ball. Walls and artificial surface are not needed. Official Futsal goals have a width of 10 feet and height of seven feet, but any indoor goals will work. A set of cones at both ends can work well to set the boundaries for the game.

Each goal is fronted by a 13-foot penalty area. You can use tape or chalk to mark it in. There is no need for further marking, since the existing side and end lines and center circle of basketball courts are used.

Once you have all of this very minor technical details out of the way, playing of the game, which is just like soccer, can proceed.  Adults and children enjoy this fun and skill-building game alike.