Growing The Game Through Futsal

Written by Joel Ducey

Over the past decade the sport of futsal has been absolutely burgeoning in popularity. The sport that once was almost exclusively played in South America has been taking the world by storm. More and more experts in soccer are recognizing the significant benefits of the sport, and seeing the parallels between futsal skills and soccer development. Played on a hard surface with a ball that has a foam bladder instead of latex - futsal is all about development, creativity, and flair. Players such as Phillipe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, and Neymar all formatively began their careers on futsal courts or concrete.

The sport, which is extremely similar to soccer in terms of rules / style, encourages a quick pace of play with constant engagement and interaction for all players. More touches on the ball equates to better skill development. Being played on a smaller court leads to players having to generate creative solutions - be that evasive moves, clever passes, or unique movements to free space for themselves / their teammates. It has been proven time and time again to enhance the foot skills, awareness, and decision making in young soccer players. This is why now more than ever many youth soccer programs around the country are incorporating futsal into their training regiments.

It isn’t enough to just carry futsal products though - it’s important to have products that align and resonate with the space. We’ve teamed up with Ida Sports and Senda Athletics to provide athletes with the best in industry gear and equipment - completely bespoke to the game. Ida Sports provides a trailblazing approach of female specific footwear and accessories which allows for female players to reach their optimal potential. Things such as enlarged toe boxes (no more broken toenails!) and gender specific sole plating allows females to be comfortable on the court - and consequently encourages them to perform their best. The line comes with premium leather footwear as well as some incredible flex on the sole - a must have for futsal. The more flexible the sole of the shoe, the better control the player is able to possess.

Senda athletics provides a similar top tier offering, featuring kangaroo leather and reinforced toe guards to allow players to utilize the full capacity of their feet when playing. Senda has also revolutionized the space with their gravity grip socks - a product that allows a player to keep their foot exactly in place in their footwear. The thoughtfully laid out tack on the bottom of the sock ensures that players' feet stay in exactly the same place each and every time. Why is this important? Blisters are formed from abrasion between the feet and spaces in the shoe. If one’s foot isn’t moving around in their shoe, but instead staying locked in place - the propensity for blisters goes down exponentially. Additionally, knowing where your foot is going to be every time allows for consistent development of skills - rather than having to deal with wonky unintentional first touches and / or bounces.

We are excited to continue in the vein of bringing the best products from the space to our customers, and we didn’t want to just dip our toes into futsal - we wanted to bring the best of the best to our community. We can’t wait for you all to check out these new offerings, and we look forward to seeing the sport continue to grow in the USA and beyond!