How to start a futsal team

Futsal is a great team sport. You can get a group of friends or work colleagues together to play it, or you could join a team as a way of meeting new people. One of the best things about futsal is that it’s an indoor game that can be played day or night all year round, rain, hail or shine. People of all ages and skill levels can play futsal socially for fun or competitively.

Read on to find out all the answers to Futsal FAQs.

What is futsal?

Futsal is an alternative to soccer. Like soccer, you can’t touch the ball with your hands, and the aim is to get the ball into your opposing team’s goal to score. Your team gets a point for every goal scored.

What is the difference between futsal and soccer?

While futsal has plenty of similarities to soccer, it’s still quite different. Futsal is played indoors on a hard court, unlike soccer which is played outdoors on grass.

The Futsal court is also smaller than an outdoor soccer pitch, which helps to make futsal a more intense game. It can really help to build your fitness, even if you’re just playing for fun.

The Futsal ball is a little smaller and heavier than a soccer ball, so it arguably takes more skill and thought to manoeuvre a futsal ball during play. The heavier ball is the reason why it’s rare for a futsal player to use their head. The futsal ball also doesn’t bounce or roll as much as a soccer ball does, so ball control and passing skills are crucial.

Another difference is that a futsal team has less players than a soccer team. This means that it’s easier to get a team together whether you want to play socially or competitively. The combination of a smaller court and less players can also give you more opportunities to score goals in futsal. More goals means that futsal is exciting both to play and to watch.

How many players are in a futsal team?

Five players in each team are allowed on the court at any one time in futsal - four players and one goalkeeper. You can also have up to 7 reserves.

If your team is still building their fitness levels and playing skills, you can substitute players as often as you like during the game. That means a larger group of people can enjoy futsal at every session.

How long are futsal games?

Futsal games are usually played over two twenty-minute halves and there is usually only a short two-to-five minute interval at half time when the two teams swap sides.

One of the best incentives to join a futsal team is that it’s played all year round so if it’s pouring rain or cold outside your team can all still enjoy getting indoors together for a game.

How big is a futsal court?

Futsal courts are rectangular. The standard court size is 40 metres by 20 metres, with one metre of free space around the court. Think of it like a longer and skinnier version of a standard-sized basketball court (which is 28 metres x 15 metres).

While there may not be as far to run in futsal as there is in soccer, the generally faster pace of the game can make it more intense (as well as a lot of fun). The futsal court ceiling must be at least 4 metres high.

Can you play indoor futsal?

Futsal should really only be played indoors because you need a firm surface to maximise the speed of the game. Grass (even artificial grass) slows the pace of the game due to the heavy ball.

How we can help

If you’d like to start playing futsal, look no further than HBF Arena at Joondalup! You can play men’s indoor futsal all year round or choose one or two of our three season competitions – summer/autumn, winter/spring and spring/summer.

We have the best indoor futsal Joondalup has to offer. Three different divisions cater for social and competitive players with different skill levels and experience. Beginners are welcome. You can form your own team or you can register to join one.

We also have an outdoor soccer competition that’s played on AstroTurf during spring and summer on Wednesday nights. It has two divisions and attracts teams from all across Perth.

Contact us today to find out more or simply drop in to check out a game and our facilities. We’d love to see you!