Futsal: Moving Forward Fast

               
Futsal: Moving Forward Fast

As written in the October/November 2010 issue of Inside SOCCER Magazine Canada’s legendary Soccer Publication. 

Last season was, without question, the most progressive yet for Canadian futsal and though it hasn’t yet started, the 2010/11 campaign is already on pace to exceed it.

The biggest development from the off-season is news that the CSA, after much nudging from both the Ontario Soccer Association and Quebec Soccer Federation, has applied for, and been given the green light,  to host Canada’s  1st ever FIFA Futsal Coaching Course!

This is huge news and a big victory for the sport, especially for those who have pushed heavily for it. The course is an intensive 5 day program that will take place from Oct 18-22nd in Laval, Quebec. The costs will be split between the OSA and QSF and as a result each province will receive a minimum of 10 spots (20 out of 30 total participants) for their members. Six provinces will be represented; New Brunswick, BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

This long overdue course is vital to futsal’s development across the country, because it will allow those selected to gain a valuable, in-depth futsal education from an internationally licensed FIFA Instructor, and will then be able to bring it back to their respective regions by teaching courses to new coaches. Many regions currently have futsal operating in some capacity, however, only a few, namely in Ontario, Quebec, lower-mainland BC, and the Alberta Colleges system are consistently growing with leagues.

The only major downside of the course was the requested criteria to qualify for it. The CSA had initially asked for a minimum of a national ‘B’ soccer license along with a CSA Instructor ‘Learning Facilitator’ license.  The problem is that the majority of the best Canadian futsal coaches and instructors are just that, futsal specialists – not soccer experts.  Naturally, this deterred many highly educated and experienced individuals from applying.

So why was the decision to leave those who for years have contributed immensely to the development of Canadian futsal? Perhaps it is the worn out notion that having soccer credentials automatically means you can master futsal. This is completely wrong. They are two different sports, with common similarities yes, but ultimately separate. Even legendary soccer coaches such as Guus Hiddink, Alex Ferguson, and Jose Mourinho could not excel in the 5 a-side game without considerable training.