We live in a time where new football academies and coaching groups are popping up all over the place and it can be difficult for parents to select where is best to take your child. A lot of the coaching groups deliver sessions that are very similar in terms of what they deliver, the surface, and the balls.
I'm not going to say do this or don't do that because that is the parents and child's choice but I can provide advice on what I believe helps develop players.
CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT
The top football academies in the world have identified that VARIETY is key. Different surfaces, balls, pitch sizes, and conditions are proven to aid player development.
The hard court surface in futsal means the ball moves faster, meaning players have to think quicker and be better technically. Futsal cannot be replicated on grass or AstroTurf as the grains slow the ball down.
This is why so many academies now have futsal and/or street football on concrete as part of their weekly structure.
COACHING STYLES
“The mistake that new generation coaches make is that they give too much information about the game with the ball to the players. This takes away creativity. It is one thing to tell the player the positioning without the ball, there you have to give a lot of information, because without the ball it is concentration, sacrifice and collective play. With the ball it depends on the creativity of the player. If Vinícius or Rodrygo (both futsal players) feel more comfortable opening up a little more when the team has the ball, I'm not going to tell them to stay inside; because it is an individual interpretation of the game. I don't go in there, because I don't want to take away everyone's creativity."
Carlo Ancelotti
Head Coach, Russell Taylor has his UEFA B Licence (the highest qualification in futsal at this time) and has futsal experience from across the world including Brazil, Spain and Finland. He creates the weekly session plans and delivers most sessions.
The vast majority of our Futsal Escocia sessions are game related scenarios with opposed play (with defenders). Futsal and football is all about attacking, defending and transitions so our session plans are based around that.
Each week we have a different theme and sessions planned around that theme:
In our structure, your child will make more mistakes but they will learn from them.
You won't see mannequins or lots of markers all over the place at our sessions because the sessions we create we want to be relevant to what's happening in the game. Mannequins don't move, defenders do.
If we instruct the kid when/where to run, when/where to pass, when/where to dribble or pass, when/where to move, when/where to shoot then we are taking away all the creativity and problem solving from the player.
We do not want to create robots, in particular in attacking play.
In my travels to Brazil and Spain, I learnt so much but the most pleasing aspect was that our coaching methods are very similar. It is all opposed training and game related practices. You might be surprised to hear that not once have I seen a mannequin in a training session in Spain or Brazil.
TIERING OF PLAYERS
The environment a player is placed has a massive impact on their development.
At some sessions we have tiers within the group and players are placed in sessions we feel they will develop best, based on age, biological age, and ability.
Every child is on their own journey and they are all at different stages in their development. Some have aspirations to be footballers, some don't.
We assess players physical development with testing with Raeside Pro Edge Conditioning three times a year. This helps us identify their progress individually and compare it with others their age. Data recorded includes height, weight, acceleration, top speed, standing long jump and multi directional movements.
A child just starting out and doing 1 football/futsal related session a week is not going to be as advanced as a child in a pro structure training 6 days a week and it's up to us to manage that. The good thing is that with over 20 sessions a week, we can be quite flexible and we should have something that suits your child.
We want your child to devote in a challenging but fun environment.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Despite hall hire being much more expensive than grass or AstroTurf hire, our prices are still comparable or below most other coaching organisations out there.
We also offer players with the opportunity to attend another session should they miss their normal session for one reason or another.
TEAMS
All of our Academy players have the opportunity to play for the Futsal Escocia teams. Irrespective of age or ability, your child will be welcome.
We now have a team pathway from u7 to adult with a First Team, B Team and C Team competing in the Scottish Futsal Leagues next season.
Our Youth Teams play regionally with talks taking place with futsal clubs about youth national leagues.
Girls teams and leagues and international tours are also being planned.
BARCELONA TOUR
All of our Academy players will have the opportunity to experience the world famous La Masia with futsal and football coaching with FC Barcelona coaches at their training complex.
These are memories that will last a lifetime.
Tours normally take place during the Easter holidays with April 2025 already being planned.
SUCCESS STORIES
In the last 9 years, and amazing 140+ players from our sessions have progressed to a professional environment with 7 representing their country at football and a further 5 at futsal.
When you consider that we don't invite players to futsal, these numbers are incredible and we probably don't shout about them enough.
THE FUTURE
One thing for certain is that we won't stand still. We are continually evolving and looking to improve.
Areas we want to develop in the future include our new Girls Only section and a return of Futsal Niños for 3-6 year olds.
JOIN US
Thanks for taking the time to read this. It's not something I feel comfortable doing but it's important to highlight what futsal and Futsal Escocia offers and the benefits it brings.
With nearly 500 children a week, a lot of our sessions are fully booked, but we are always looking to increase sessions to provide more players with the opportunity to experience futsal.
If you go on a waiting list it lets us know where there's extra demand.
You can register your child here:
