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Many renowned players in Spanish soccer once honed their talents in futsal, a variant of soccer that uses a smaller, slightly heavier ball and is contested indoors by teams of five players.
Among those to nurture their skills playing the game are Lionel Messi and ex-La Liga stars Xavi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, whose expert passing, control and movement were cultivated in their youth.
Now futsal—particularly advanced in Spain despite originating in South America—is spreading its influence to the United Kingdom after the Spanish futsal league (LNFS) formed a new partnership with the national futsal league in England (NFL) to grow the game overseas. The collaboration also means the English body now adopts the LNFS name.
“I am looking forward to working with LNFS England to build futsal across the nation by using the skills and experience we have developed over many years in Spain,” said Javier Lozano, the LNFS president who won two Futsal World Cups as Spain’s head coach.
Developing futsal abroad is an exciting challenge that could commercially activate the sport. Competitively, however, it’s a questionable move for Spain considering the edge it has given the nation in soccer.
That said, it would take a lot of work for England to match its success. The five-a-side format is prominent in the country, but futsal is a lesser-known entity and, unlike in Spain, has weak links to professional soccer.
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Peter Sharples, England’s LNFS director, is a big admirer of futsal, which he thinks is key to producing technically sound soccer players.
“You look at the success Spain had in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 tournaments. Everyone was asking why it was so good,” he begins telling me in an interview.
“It’s because they grabbed hold of futsal and brought its players through to play soccer.”
He also notes its benefits for aspiring soccer players, such as practicing skills during small-scale, indoor games before stepping out onto large pitches, where they are less likely to touch the ball often.
According to him, it brings financial incentives for clubs too, which he has even presented to English giants Liverpool.
“They will reap the rewards because they won’t go out spending millions on a player, which is unsustainable,” he adds.
“If you put futsal within clubs, you’ll be rolling these players out on a conveyor belt.”
The effects of the partnership will not be immediate. But if futsal continues to expand in the coming years, Spain may not be the only European nation to experience its magic.
