FA National Futsal Grand Finals 2011
13 May 2011
The climax of The Football Associations domestic Futsal season will see the six leading Futsal clubs in England go head-to-head over an intense and exciting weekend of Futsal at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford on the 11th and 12th June 2011. The new multi-million pound sporting facilities at the University of Surrey will be an exquisite back-drop to this season’s FA National Futsal League Grand Finals, which will see one team being crowned English National Futsal Champions for 2011.
The Grand Finals are the culmination of a long hard season that started in November for the 22 clubs in the FA National Futsal Leagues. These Leagues are split into three divisions – the Northern, Midlands and Southern Leagues. The top two teams from these three leagues at the end of the season progress to the Grand Finals for a battle royale to determine who has the right to declare themselves FA National Champions. The winning club not only gets the bragging rights but also receive an attractive amount of prize money along with the opportunity to represent England in the UEFA Futsal Cup – the Champions League of Futsal!
The FA National Futsal League Grand Finals will see six thrilling play-off matches take place on the Saturday 11th June, starting from 10am and not finishing until 8:30pm. The Grand Final will take place at 2pm on Sunday 12th June, with The FA U18’s National Futsal Championship Finals taking place during the morning from 10am onwards showcasing some of the top youth Futsal in the country. Come along at any point over the weekend and get a flavour of what Futsal is all about – entrance for spectators is free.
“Futsal is rapidly growing in England, the pace, energy and skill create an exciting spectacle for both the teams involved and those watching. The FA National Futsal League Grand Finals is the pinnacle of the Futsal season – and will be an outstanding exhibition of top-level English Futsal. We are delighted to bring such a prestigious event to Surrey and we are sure that it will encourage people in this area to get involved with Futsal. Come and watch the game that helped make Fabregas, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Kaka the players that they are today.”
(Simon Walker, FA National Manager for Small Sided Football)
“One of the critical factors in the recent success and progress of the England National Futsal team has been the development of the FA National Futsal Leagues. The establishment of these leagues has given the opportunity for players to play regular Futsal at an ever improving standard and intensity, this is crucial to the development of the game in this country and for the National side. The Grand Finals are a chance for the best players in the country to come together and stake a claim for a place in the England team.”
(Pete Sturgess, Head Coach of the England National Futsal Team)
What is Futsal?
Futsal is FIFA and UEFAs recognised format of 5-a-side football and in recent years has been embraced by The Football Association. FIFA claim that it is the fastest growing indoor sport in the world, and is immensely popular outside of the UK. Futsal has played an important role in the technical development of some of the world’s leading football players; Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kaka, Xavi, Ronaldinho to name just a few all played Futsal as they grew up and developed into world beaters. The FA are keen to harness the benefits of this game and introduce it to benefit the technical development of English young players. Futsal is being played widely in schools, colleges and universities across the country, and The FA has established the FA National Futsal League and an England senior men’s Futsal team that plays in European and World Cups. The FA National Futsal League has been running for four years.
Futsal is a format of 5-a-side football that is played indoors with a smaller, heavier ball. The game is played to pitch lines and hockey-sized goals, which helps to encourage improved decision making and technical skill in the players.
