1st OSA Futsal Coaching Clinic a Resounding Success

11/02/2009
Coaching clinic in Canada

1st OSA Futsal Coaching Course A Resounding Success

TORONTO — The first ever OSA Futsal Coaching Course wrapped up this past Saturday in downtown Toronto. Hosted by the Toronto Soccer Association, the course was the first of its kind in the province and showcased a huge demand for the sport of Futsal, which has seen rapid growth in Ontario over the last four years.

St. Mary’s Secondary School was the venue for the course which was taught by Vasco Nunes, Chairman of the OSA Futsal Coaching Subcommittee and holder of numerous coaching licenses in Europe and Brazil.

It was a pleasant surprise to find that the course was not just completely full, but also had a waiting list. Male and female coaches new to the game along with veteran Futsal enthusiasts came from an incredible 7 districts including; York Region, Toronto, Peel-Halton, North York, Hamilton, Huronia, and a truly dedicated group of 6 coaches from Ottawa that made the trek to enhance their understanding of this incredible game.

The day started off in the classroom with thorough explanations on the history of the game, its significant benefits to the soccer community, and its bright future here and abroad. This was followed up with a comprehensive review of the FIFA Futsal Laws Of The Game, the only list of laws that FIFA, the CSA, and the OSA will use. This had clarified some questions from various participants as the sport has often seen different rules being used in games across the province.

A strong emphasis on how to coach Futsal was detailed by Vasco as he taught the various formations, tactics, and with the roles played by players and coaches. These theoretical teachings were put into practice as the group headed into the gym to learn a wide array of drills and each coach was encouraged to be creative in constructing their own drills and variations while applying them in practice and game situations. The intense looks on many faces clearly showed just how intrigued and excited these coaches were about Futsal.

It seemed almost unfair to most that the course had to end in the evening as the hunger to learn more about the game was evident by all participants. Thankfully, future plans for the Futsal coaching courses include extending it to a two-day format and offering it province-wide during 2009 to districts and clubs that wish to host them There is also a Futsal referee program available.

The next major Futsal event is the 4th OSA Futsal Cup which takes place on February 21/22nd in Toronto at Hoop Dome and in Kitchener/Waterloo at RIM Park.

Futsal is a 5-a-side game that is the only indoor soccer supported and promoted by FIFA which has mandated to each of its members, including Canada, to grow the sport. Futsal is an incredible development sport for players having directly contributed to the skills of many famous professional soccer players including Robinho, Christiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Luis Figo and Ronaldinho, among others. It is played on every continent in over 150 countries and the FIFA Futsal World Cup has been growing at a blazing speed since its inaugural event in 1989. For more information on the sport please visit futsalcanada.ca, the Futsal section on the OSA website or simply go to Youtube and watch highlights from around the world.