Recent years have seen a number of harsh winters with snow, floods and other poor weather conditions affecting the amount of outdoor football being played. For young players learning the game and developing their skills and love for football, these long absences during the winter months without any football can be particularly detrimental.

So in 2014, thirty two youth leagues around the country changed their winter programme to offer 12,000 young players, the opportunity to play Futsal indoors which included The Telford Junior Football League which introduced it for the under 7 and under 8 age groups.

So what is Futsal?

Futsal is a 5-a-side format of the game that is  recognised for the benefits it can impart on the technical development of young players.  So not only will players (and parents!) be escaping the harsher winter elements by playing indoors, but they will also be playing a format of the game that can significantly support their development

Benefits......

There are many benefits to futsal for youth development compared to traditional indoor and outdoor football. Here are just a few.....

• With the small court and lack of walls, players are constantly placed in demanding decision-making situations, requiring quick thinking, good ball control, precise passing, and creative solutions.
• The rules of futsal favor skilful, creative play above the physical contact that tends to be a feature of traditional football.
• Slide tackles and excessive bodily contact is forbidden in Futsal, resulting in fewer injuries.
• Smaller team sizes allow players to get more frequent touches on the ball and increased opportunities to score goals.
• Players are not just a defender or an attacker but a complete player resulting in a much better all-round understanding of the game.
• Futsal is a simple game and devoid of complex rules such as ‘off-side’
• Futsal is fast and exciting, providing an action packed game that keeps players physically active while having fun.

The 2016/17 Season

For the 2016/17 Season, the under 7 and under 8 teams will be entering the Telford Junior Futsal League from Jan - March 2017. The locations of the games are yet to be confirmed.

Telford Junior League Rules

Futsal Factsheet