Futsal Comes to Canada (CSA press release)

This is the CSA’s release. Futsal Canada will do our own feature story on the courses within the next week or two with a more detailed analysis of what this really means for Canadian futsal with interviews and more photos.

The Canadian Soccer Association in cooperation with FIFA delegates recently held Futsal workshops in the areas of Coaching and Refereeing in Laval and Ottawa with the aim of the advancement of the sport of Futsal in Canada.

The FIFA Futsal Coach Instructor course ran from 18 October to 22 October in Laval, QC. The course material was designed to prepare the participants to provide training to additional Canadian Futsal coaches. FIFA Instructor Constantine Konstin led 30 participants representing six Canadian provinces as well as two guest trainers from Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire through the five day session.

“The course provided a great introduction for the game of Futsal into the Canadian Soccer Association structure,” said Ms. Beliveau. “The combination of expert instructors in the game of soccer and others in the game of Futsal created a great mix and a good model for sharing expertise.”

On 19 October the Association provided a train the trainer workshop to launch its entry level Futsal Referee Course in Ottawa, ON. Led by Canadian Soccer Association Director of Refereeing Joe Guest and US Soccer National Staff Instructor Jeff Killmeyer the course introduced the participants to the standardised material for training new Futsal referees, a cross-over course for existing soccer referees, and a national examination on the knowledge and understanding of the Futsal laws of the game. The well attended session featured representatives from 10 of the Association’s 12 provincial and territorial member associations.

“The opportunity not only to receive the material but to engage in discussion on the game was extremely beneficial for all the attendees,” noted Mr. Guest.