As a parent, I love every chance my child gets to play soccer—whether it’s in the backyard, at the local park, or in an organized league. This winter, I signed my son up for futsal again. However, I’ve seen a lot of hype about futsal, especially from American parents and league promoters.
Some even say futsal can create an American Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. This made me want to share my thoughts on a few things that matter more for your child’s soccer development than futsal.
Let’s get this straight: Are there benefits to playing futsal? Definitely! However, futsal league organizers often play on parents’ fear of missing out (FOMO) to grow registrations and promote events.
Related: Why My Son Plays Futsal
As a parent, I understand the worry that your child might fall behind if they don’t join in. But it’s important to be realistic about the benefits of futsal.
You Can’t Take Their Culture…
Futsal originated in Uruguay and Brazil, where soccer is a way of life. Kids there play soccer in the streets because it’s a part of their culture. If they had access to spacious, manicured soccer fields, they would have used them.
Street soccer gave birth to futsal, not the other way around. Futsal didn’t create the creativity, flair, and speed—street soccer did.
And Apply It to Our Culture…
This Sunday, I’ll take my boys to our local park for a quick training session followed by a World Cup game against their old man. This park, located in the heart of Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has a regulation-size turf soccer field, a grass field, and a smaller turf field.
We’ll likely be the only ones playing, aside from the local adult frisbee league. No matter how many futsal leagues we create, until this changes, we won’t see an American Messi anytime soon.
Freeplay and Unstructured Play
Futsal didn’t create Messi, just like the blacktops of Rucker Park, New York didn’t create Dr. J and Wilt Chamberlain. Rucker Park emerged from a broader culture of basketball within America’s inner cities. No one suggests playing at Rucker Park will make you a better basketball player. This logic should apply to futsal as well.
5 Things More Important to Your Child’s Soccer Development than Futsal
1. Enjoying the Game
Having fun is crucial for your child’s soccer development and well-being. Adding multiple leagues, elite competitions, and off-season training can become detrimental if they don’t genuinely enjoy the game.
Related: Fun Soccer Games
Kids in Brazil and Uruguay play soccer in the streets with balls made of socks because they love the game, not because their parents signed them up for a travel team. If your child rarely wants to play soccer outside of team practices, consider using the off-season to recharge and explore other interests, not just play futsal.
2. Work Ethic & Training Individually
Team training doesn’t provide enough time on the ball. Improving ball manipulation helps players move faster and make quicker decisions—key benefits often attributed to futsal. However, these can be achieved through outdoor training and games as well.
The key is thousands of hours on the ball, whether it’s in the streets of Brazil, a futsal league, or a local park in North Carolina. Passion, hard work, repetition, enjoyment, and good instruction are the real ingredients for success.
3. Good Coaching that Inspires
I’ve seen the same bad coaches from outdoor leagues move to futsal leagues. While playing always offers some benefits, much of the development happens during training. If the coach isn’t engaged or competent, the players won’t receive the benefits touted by futsal league organizers.
4. Becoming Two-Footed
Elite players can manipulate the ball with both feet. I’m very intentional about training my sons to be two-footed. I’ve seen enough kids using only one foot during futsal games to know that futsal alone won’t make them two-footed.
5. Repetition
I’ve had the good fortune of training youth players of all ages and skill levels. The most consistent thing I notice is that they haven’t spent enough time mastering the basics of ball control. Futsal should be a fun part of a curriculum that emphasizes ball mastery—not the primary vehicle for it.
6. You Tell Me
Comment below and share any misconceptions or overpromises you’ve heard about futsal. Or maybe you totally disagree? I’d love to read your thoughts.
