The Evolution of Futsal: From its Origins to Today

What began nearly a century ago as an indoor version of soccer has become an internationally popular sport that stands on its own. According to U.S. Youth Futsal, 12 million people worldwide play futsal, and there are now numerous professional and semi-professional futsal leagues. But how did futsal get here? In this article, Bownet Sports® looks at the history of futsal and how it has evolved from an activity for kids to the fastest-growing indoor sport.

Futsal Origins

The sport of futsal was invented in 1930 by Argentinian Juan Carlos Ceriani, who was the director of The Children's Department at the YMCA in Montevideo, Uruguay. With a shortage of open outdoor space in the country's most populus city, kids started using the YMCA basketball courts to play improvised soccer games. Ceriani - who had just graduated from The YMCA College (now Springfield College) in Massachusetts, where basketball and volleyball were invented - witnessed these games and decided to create organized rules. After a few years of experimenting, Ceriani completed the first "Indoor Football" rule book in September 1933 and sent it to the international YMCA headquarters.

While the principles of Ceriani's initial futsal rules were rooted in association football (i.e., soccer), they also incorporated aspects of other sports. Having five players per side and a 40-minute game length came from basketball. The size of the futsal courts and goals was based on team handball, and the goalkeeping procedures came from water polo. Ceriani also developed a heavier ball for hard surfaces.

Futsal Evolution

The YMCA soon spread the game across Latin America. It especially became popular in Brazil, where it was called "Futebol de Salão" (Portuguese for "Indoor Soccer"). However, despite Ceriani's codification, the local rules were not uniform. Some games had as many as seven players per side or were played on different-sized courts.

Modern futsal rules can be traced to 1956, when Habib Mahfouz and Luiz Gonzaga de Oliveira Fernandes published "Rules of Brazilian Futebol de Salão." These rules were subsequently adopted by all South American countries and later by the International Futsal Federation (IFUSA) when it was founded in 1971 and organized the first Futsal World Cup in 1982. Journalist José Antônio Inglêz is credited with the name "futsal," which was registered by FIFUSA in 1985.

Futsal Today

Today, there are two major futsal governing bodies. FIFUSA was reorganized in 2002 as the Asociación Mundial de Futsal (World Futsal Association or AMF). FIFA also sanctions international futsal competition with each organization holding its own Futsal World Cup. Although the futsal rules for each are largely similar, there are variations. For example, the FIFA field is slightly larger, and they allow the goalkeeper to cross to the opposing side of the field.

Regardless of the sanctioning body, the quick pace of futsal and the ability to play almost anywhere has brought in players of all ages. If you're interested in learning the game or dream of becoming a professional, shop at Bownet® for regulation-size portable goals, balls and other futsal equipment to #TrainLikeaPro.