Futsal in Spain

Have you ever wondered why players like Xavi and Iniesta have such great close control skills? It's because they were brought up on a diet of Futsal or Fútbol Sala, as it's known in Spain - the only version of indoor football recognised by both FIFA and UEFA.

Futsal was created in 1930 and is now played by 30 million people in over 100 countries, making it the fastest growing sport in the world. It's extremely popular in Spain, where there are professional leagues and the national team, which has won the World Championship twice and the European Championship four times, vies with Brazil for the honour of being the best team in the world.

If you've played indoor football, the basic idea behind futsal will be very familiar - it's five against five, most of the kit is the same and you score goals with a ball. However, there are some important differences, which make the game a lot of fun and a great way of working on specific skills.

The Main Differences

The FIFA regulation pitch size is a maximum of 42 metres long by 25 metres wide with the minimum being 38 x 18 for internationals and 25 x 15 for all other games.

Playing in such a reduced area is ideal for working on close individual ball skills and also on one touch passing and receiving.

The Ball - In indoor football felt balls are sometimes allowed, but in futsal the ball is made of leather and is smaller and heavier than a normal soccer ball - about a regulation size 3/4 - with a dampened bounce. Although there are no restrictions as to how high the ball can be kicked, this also means that the focus of the game is the feet rather than the head or other parts of the body.

Playing Time - Two halves of just 22 clock-timed minutes each also make for a fast-moving game. Plays are stopped when the stopwatch dictates so there's a sense of urgency similar to basketball as the end of the final period approaches.

Another similarity with basketball is that each team can take a one-minute time-out per half and so tactics and strategies, which change the course of the game, can be implemented.

The Teams - Teams consist of five players on each side but there are twelve players in the squad. Flying substitutions are made and players can come on or off even when the ball's in play. Sometimes a coach will change almost all his players during a time-out. This means that as a spectator, you don't only focus on the fantastic ball skills but also on the strategies employed.

Free Kicks - The majority of the reasons why direct and indirect free kicks are awarded are just like in normal footbal - fouls, handball, dangerous play etc - but there are a number of rules that apply only to the goalkeepers that are designed to keep the game moving quickly and stop time-wasting.

For example, the goalkeeper must not throw the ball over the half way line, touch back passes from team-mate with his hands or touch a back pass with any part of his body before it's crossed the half-way line or has been played by an opponent. He's also not allowed to keep the ball in his hands for more than 4 seconds.

Finally, just like in normal football, free kicks are taken from where the offending foul was committed. The big difference, though, is that indirect free kicks are also taken in the penalty area, which makes for some incredible nail-biting moments.