Unlocking the potential: England makes the right step back into futsal
The England Futsal National Team announced its return to activity after a two-year break via a tweet that took the English futsal community by storm. A storm similar to the one futsal fights daily to compete against hurricanes such as rugby, cricket and football in England.
An examination of England’s futsal culture is warranted as the team prepares to play again.
Even though futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, it remains playing catch up with the likes of cricket, rugby, and football in the UK. We look into the opinions of three prominent figures in this sport: Henrique Do Carmo, coach of LDN Movements, a tier-3 team with over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers; Jamie Fahey, a journalist covering futsal regularly for The Guardian; and Richard Ward, former England international and Bloomsbury’s captain, the current National Futsal Series champions representing the country in the UEFA Futsal Champions League.
Henrique Do Carmo considers the particular difficulties’ futsal in the UK faces. He notes, “Here is kind of developing from scratch.” There is not much room for indoor sports like basketball, handball, or futsal to flourish given the enduring popularity of rugby, cricket, and football. The lack of indoor sports culture is something he observes and attributes to the dominance of the “big three” sports and the small number of players in the UK. “There’s not that big of a pool of players because it’s either you’re a football player, a rugby player, or a cricket player. All the other sports are kind of brushed aside,” Do Carmo remarks.
Henrique also blames the weather, while at the same time expressing his confusion about why indoor sports are not popular in a country with such a rainy weather.
“I guess the English is so focused on rugby, cricket and football that they just don’t even think about it. They’d rather get wet than play an indoor sports.”
Despite acknowledging the growth of futsal globally, he believes that true development in England will only happen when a cultural shift occurs, allowing football and futsal to coexist harmoniously.
“When something comes along like futsal, I think a lot of people see it as kind of a threat to the (football) culture. So that’s why it won’t be fully developed until people start realizing that they can work together.”
Jamie Fahey highlights the overwhelming cultural dominance of football in Britain, and identifies traditional five-a-side, the lack of infrastructure and the weather as significant barriers to futsal’s growth. He stresses the need for a meaningful buy-in from football associations, citing a lack of awareness and understanding of futsal’s potential.
Despite these challenges, Fahey sees hope in the passion for futsal in England, particularly among the younger generation. He concurs with Do Carmo and agrees that a paradigm shift must happen in England, similar to successful futsal models in countries where it became a game played in schools from a young age, like Portugal.
“They (Portugal) decided about 15 years ago that they wanted to make futsal the game of the schools, the real reference point for children to be playing, and they wanted to devote time and energy in a joined up way through the Portuguese federation fully backed by the Portuguese government, they decided they would get behind futsal and do it properly. This is something that needs to happen in England.”
Other countries like France and Germany have also improved their investment in futsal substantially, with plans and federations’ participation like the French Football Federation, with their groundbreaking development plan, emerged back in August 2023, poised to reshape the landscape of French futsal.
Richard Ward offers a player’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities for futsal in England. Ward expresses his love for futsal over football, emphasizing the increased ball touches, action-packed nature, and attention to detail in the game.
He points out the cultural resistance to embracing new sports in the UK, stating, “I think because we feel like we’ve invented those sports (football, cricket and rugby), that’s why we focus on them, and we’re not very welcoming to any other sports like basketball, futsal or any indoor sport.” Ward also underscores the financial challenges faced by futsal players in the UK, making it difficult to match the training intensity of European teams.
“More training, more gym, they are getting paid, it’s their work to be fit, to train… Here people have normal jobs and families, so they have to prioritize their outside work over futsal.”
Ward, however, remains hopeful about the next generation’s potential awareness of futsal, especially with increasing school-level participation. He highlights the importance of infrastructural investment and a determined effort from those in positions of power to improve futsal’s status.
“As long as, the people who have the power don’t want it to be a sport, it won’t be a sport.”, he added, “Realistically, is it going to get more professional in England? Not unless they get a lot of money in so you can make it professional. And why would you do that without having a return to the investment? That’s the challenge.”
Henrique added,“I think England and the UK have a lot of money, they have more money than probably any other FA in the whole world.”
So it’s pretty much all in their hands.
Jamie believes that FIFA and continental confederations have the responsibility to support the global expansion of futsal. He asserts, “They have a duty to help grow and nourish the sport so they can utilize their clout with marketing and funding and access to sponsors that can really help grow the game.”
Drawing on extensive research, Jamie identifies a common thread across nations with successful futsal programs – the game is deeply embedded in school culture. On the other hand, England’s inability to make futsal a priority in schools presents a significant barrier to its popularity.
As the England Futsal National Team returns to existence, the challenges and hopes for the growth of futsal culture in England comes to the forefront. The perspectives of three futsal experts, imbedded in the futsal community, shed light on the complex dynamics at play. From cultural barriers and historical challenges to financial and infrastructural impediments, futsal faces an uphill battle. However, Fahey’s media coverage and the passion of people like Ward and Do Carmo give hope for a brighter future.
Although it’s unknown if England will become one of the top futsal countries in the world, the road to greater funding and interest in the sport is undoubtedly being created. England’s ability to embrace futsal as an essential part of its sports culture will be demonstrated during the span of the next few years, as the futsal community works hard to close the gap and reach the sport’s full potential.
