What is futsal? It is an exciting and interesting sport that belongs to the realm of soccer. However, it is still not widely known. So, what exactly is futsal, and what are the rules of play? Let"s delve deeper into this discipline in the following article on high-quality soccer tips!

What is futsal?

What is Futsal? Simply put, it can be understood as indoor soccer. It"s a form of soccer played indoors, akin to soccer but within an indoor arena, regarded as a variant of soccer played on a smaller pitch.

Its name originates from Portuguese "futebol de salão," Spanish "fútbol de salón," and French "football en salle," all translating to indoor soccer.

Futsal emerged in the 1930s in Montevideo, Uruguay, coinciding with the inaugural World Cup hosted by the country in the same year. Juan Carlos Ceriani is credited with pioneering the development of this sport. He devised a game for 5 players on each team that could be played indoors or outdoors.

In the same year, a similar form of soccer was played on basketball courts and flourished in São Paulo, Brazil. These new forms of soccer quickly gained acceptance throughout South America. The Brazilian Sports Confederation established the first official rules for futebol de salão in 1958.

FIFA also began overseeing their own version of indoor soccer, with its own set of rules and regulations. The FIFA Futsal World Cup was first held in 1989 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

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How many minutes does each half of futsal match last?

According to FIFA regulations, a futsal match consists of 2 official halves. Each half lasts for 20 minutes. If the official playing time is about to end, but a team is awarded a penalty kick, the match will continue until the kick is taken. Each team is also entitled to a 15-minute halftime break after the first half.

During the official playing time, each team is allowed one timeout of 1 minute per half. However, the timeout must adhere to the following rules:

• Only team officials have the authority to request a timeout and must notify the referee to start the timer.

• When the timeout expires, the referee will blow the whistle, and both teams must return to the field immediately.

• Only players actively participating in the match are allowed on the field during the timeout. Substitutes or team staff are not permitted on the field.

Futsal, a form of indoor soccer, is played on a court typically made of wood, artificial turf, or a similar smooth, non-abrasive surface.

What is the size of a futsal court? The standard dimensions for international matches are: Length between 38-42 meters, width between 20-25 meters. For matches at lower levels, the court may have smaller dimensions: Length between 25-42 meters, width between 16-25 meters.

Regardless of size, the futsal court must be rectangular, with the touchlines forming the longer boundaries and the goal lines forming the shorter boundaries.

The ceiling of the indoor arena must have a height of approximately 4 meters or more. On the shorter touchlines, the goals are positioned in the center of the length. The goal measures 2 meters in height and 3 meters in width (across the shorter touchline). Nets are made of twine, hemp, or nylon and are attached to the back of the goalposts and crossbar.

The lower part of the net is attached to a curved pipe or other suitable support. The depth of the goal is 80 cm at the top and 1 meter at the bottom. In front of each goal (goalpost) is the penalty area.

This area is marked by a quarter-circle with a radius of 6 meters from the shorter touchline with the two centers being the two vertical posts of the goal. The upper part of each quarter-circle is then connected to a line 3.16 meters long running parallel to the goal line between the two goalposts.

The line marking the edge of the penalty area is called the penalty area line. The penalty area is where the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with their hands. A penalty kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits a foul inside their own penalty area.

During a corner kick situation, players are required to coordinate with their teammates. At a position within 6.5 meters, the second player (standing near the penalty area) will pass to the player inside the penalty area, who will then attempt to score.

During a free kick, there are situations where players use a stationary ball to score against the opponent"s net. If a team is trailing, they may employ the "power play" tactic to change the course of the game, where they play without a goalkeeper to create an offensive advantage and there is no offside trap.

Conclusion

Above are the most basic information about what Futsal is that we want to share with you. We hope that this information will help you gain more interest in this sport. For further reference on Futsal specifically and soccer in general, stay tuned for our upcoming articles! Read more: 1x2 soccer predictions - Delivering insights from the top 100 websites globally