Athens Futsal Style of Play

The Athens Futsal "Style of Play":

Be welcoming to all players:  this means that we “take it easy on those that need to be taken easy upon” and we alter our play to support the growth and success of players of all ages, genders, abilities and backgrounds.  

Demonstrate honor and compassion:  the quality of the game experience is best when players demonstrate honor for the spirit of the game, and compassion for their competitors.  Players follow both the letter and the spirit of the rules.  Because we are entirely self-officiated, we call fouls on ourselves and err on the side of generosity.  Advanced players are expected to demonstrate leadership through honoring the spirit of the game and by watching out for the safety of players on both teams in the game.

Elevate skillful team play:  we encourage and cheer for the quality of good plays, while helping others develop and express their skills.  This means that the most advanced players need to facilitate the success of the players on their team. Encourage players to express themselves and develop their skills in the game.
Best players need to show leadership: In combination these three principles require the most advanced players to demonstrate leadership in how they play. The quality of the play experience for all should be obviously more important than the outcome. This is the key to preserving a high quality learning experience for all players.

The structure of the games:

1. Teams play 7 v 7 or 6 v 6 depending on what the two teams prefer.
1. Historically we played on basketball courts at the Athens community center, so the fieldhouse courts will be much larger and should offer great quality play with either 6 or 7 players.
2. We play without keepers-  all players are field players.  Two related constraints on shots:
1. No long shots (the final 1/4 shooting range will be marked with cones)
2. Shots are kept low (knee high or lower)
3. The exception to both rules is that headers can be scored from anywhere, at any height.
4. Shoot with precision and control.
3. Teams will play a series of 4 games of about 13 min in each hour.
1. The rotating basis of teams allows more variety each game day
2. Rotation also prevents the need for a schedule.
4. Games are completely self-officiated
1. This means that all players, especially the team leaders and most advanced players need to exemplify the principles listed above.
2. Three basic rules
1. Have fun.  Don’t hurt anyone (including yourself).  Take it easy on those that need to be taken easy upon.  
3. Futsal is a minimum contact sport (world cup level futsal is much less contact than rec soccer) our expectations are for even more self control.  We are playing for fun and quality.
5. Restarts of play
1. Out of bounds is an indirect kick from location of out of bounds, or corner in case of corner kick.
2. Opposing players must be at least 3 meters away from the kick-in.
3. Restarts must be taken quickly, within 4 seconds of placing the ball on the ground
4. Goal kicks can be taken from anywhere in the final 1/4 of the field.
1. after a goal is scored the defending team makes a quickly taken goal kick.

Fall 2016 updates

Please see the update for Fall 2016.  

January 29th, 2016:  Your futsal weekend looks like this: 

(1) Friday Youth Late night 9 to 10:45 pm. Still open slots, interested ACS registered players should bring $25 to Ted in the gym in the ACC at 8:45. * Must be ACS 2016 Member, see link for sign up.
(2) Family Futsal 5-7 Saturday
(3) Saturday youth latenight 7 to 9:45 (will need subs for this week, all ACS registered youth welcome)
(4) Sunday 1:00- Possible Turf Field, depends on absence of snow and decision from Coach Simon. Will update.
(5) Women's Futsal 5:00 Sunday, ACC.

Link to sign up for ACS for Youth or Adults.http://athenscommunitysoccer.org/leagues

Update for youth futsal options

If you have not already signed up (with Ted or Doug, via email or in person).

Step 1.  ACS annual membership?  




  http://athenscommunitysoccer.org/








  If you signed up your player in the fall for ACS then they will still be registered.  If not you can sign them up for $15 for the whole 2016 year, which provides the organizational liability insurance, etc. for a wide range of local futsal and soccer programming (like GASA and local club soccer).   But go ahead and visit their page, login and check if you are not sure.

Step 2.   Pick your youth latenight programs.











Friday night latenight (9:00 pm to 10:45; $25) is open for intermediate and advanced players.  The league is composed primarily of middle school and high school age players.   There will be 6 teams playing a series of brief (~10 minute) games in a pattern of 2 games on, one game resting for a period of 1 hour and 45 minutes.


Saturday early session (7:00 to 8:20; $30)   This league is almost full!  The league is composed primarily of middle school and high school age players.   There will be 4 teams playing a each opponent twice each night in a series of brief (~12 minute) games.

Step 3.   Send an email to Ted with your player's preferences.  Fill out this form and bring it to the first night along with payment..











 The form is available here.  Fill it out (copy and paste content of form into an empty Word or Google document); then print and bring on the first night of the league.  Ted's Email address is listed on the form. 


 Other futsal programs to be aware of:

 Freestyle  (Wednesday 4:00 pm; free to ACS Members)  Players should bring their own ball, and dress for the weather as this program is held outdoors in the roller hockey rink behind the Athens Community Center.  Interested players should send an email to Mitch ( to get added to his announcement list, or check and follow the Athens Futsal Facebook page for announcements.

Turf field futsal (Sundays 1:00 pm; free to ACS members)  Players should dress for the weather because this program is held outdoors at the Athens High School turf field.   This program is also announced via the Athens Futsal FB page and email list.

How to sign up for Latenight Futsal Jan 2016

It is tricky to get all of these details clear and accurate.  Thanks for bearing with us this for winter season of 2016. 

NOTE:   See updated and more current sign up procedure for youth Futsal on the more recent post, above.

Interested players should print and complete the Winter 2016 registration form.   This form is due by Friday January 8th and should be delivered to Ted Welser at the Athens Community Center during family futsal, between 6 and 8 pm.  The form can also be delivered via email for players who are out of town.  All latenight futsal leagues will begin during the first week of the OU spring semester, from Tuesday January 12, through 13, 15, and Saturday the 16th.

All late night futsal leagues are organized under Athens Community Soccer, and all participants need to be 2016 annual members of ACS.  Sign up for the very inexpensive annual membership is available online.   Currently the youth sign up for the annual ACS membership is available, and the adult sign up form will be available shortly (Update:  John Buswell is working on updating the ACS webpage, he will be done by the 8th, hopefully).

Mixed adult and high school age players

Tuesday Latenight Futsal  has room for more players.

This program is a friendly recreational league composed primarily of adults, but also includes highly skilled high school age players. The focus of the league is on fun and skillful team play. Teams will play a series of short games, encountering each of the other teams at least once in each evening of play.

How do participate:   come to the Athens Community Center for an organizational meeting (tables to the right in the ACC lobby) at 8:30 pm on Tuesday January 5th (1 week before our league begins).  At that meeting we will:

1.  Answer any remaining questions about the league
2.  Collect participation fee of $30 from each player (to confirm place on roster)
3.  Identify team leaders / captains who are willing to organize communication for a team of 6-7 players.
4.  Establish the league roster and email list. 

 If you are unable to make to the meeting on Tuesday January 5th, fill out the registration form and email it to Ted Welser (address on the registration form).

 

Wednesday Latenight Futsal is the same type of program as the Tuesday league but is already effectively full.  This league will include players that participated in the Autumn league, and depending on the responses from each team there might be room for a couple of additional players which will draw from players who have already expressed interest in participating.



 

                  

Middle and high school age players.

Youth Latenight Friday  is open to middle and high school age players.   It has room for more players.    We are aiming for 6 teams of 6 players and I have been contacted by about 20 interested players already.  

How do participate:   fill out the registration form, bring it and meet with Ted Welser in the gym at Athens Community Center during family futsal on Friday January 8th (1 week before our league begins).  At that meeting we will:

1.  Answer any remaining questions about the league
2.  Collect participation fee of $25 from each player
3.  Identify team leaders / captains who are willing to organize communication for a team of 6-7 players.
4.  Establish the league roster and email list.

Youth Latenight Saturday (early session, 7:00 to 8:20)  has room for more advanced and intermediate futsal players.    We are aiming for 4 teams of 6 players and I have been contacted by about 18 interested players already.  

How do participate:   fill out the registration form, bring it and meet with Ted Welser in the gym at Athens Community Center during family futsal on Friday January 8th (8 days before our league begins).  At that meeting we will:

1.  Answer any remaining questions about the league
2.  Collect participation fee of $30 from each player
3.  Identify team leaders / captains who are willing to organize communication for a team of 6-7 players.
4.  Establish the league roster and email list.


Youth Latenight Saturday (late session, 8:25 to 9:45)  is effectively full.  This league will largely include players that participated in the Autumn league, and depending on the responses from each team there might be room for a couple of additional players which will draw from players who have already expressed interest in participating.

This program is the same as early session Saturday, but with slightly faster paced play.  

Planned Futsal Programs, request for interest and feedback

Athens Futsal and Athens Community Soccer have been working to organize futsal programs for January 2016.   We thank everyone who participated in our fall programs, and are trying to make the January options even better.  Detailed descriptions of the programs and survey/sign up form are linked here, and at the bottom of the page.

• Detailed description of the futsal programs. 
• Interest survey and comments.

We need your help, by letting us know which programs you or your family members would like to participate in.  Below is a brief overview.  Currently there are three basic ways that futsal programs are organized in Athens:  ACC programs, Drop-in programs, Recreational leagues.

ACC Programs
ACC Youth Futsal, Autumn
ACC Youth Futsal, Winter

ACC Youth Futsal is a recreational and instructional league that has been offered in the Autumn of 2014 and 2015.  The program helps players develop fundamental skills and have fun playing futsal.   The Autumn program includes players from 3rd to 8th grade, with select older players acting as mentors to younger players.  We are working the with ACC on the possibility of a Winter program including 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Fridays at 5:00, immediately before Family Futsal.

Drop-in programs:

Family Futsal

Women's Futsal

Turf field Futsal

These are low cost and accessible ways for new players to get started with futsal, and for advanced players to act as mentors teaching the enjoyment of skillful play.  Our goal is to grow participation in the sport for all players in a manner that is as safe, accessible and welcoming as possible. In all of these programs we work to obtain permission from the facility managers at the Athens Community Center, and the Athens School District to schedule pick-up futsal programs at their facilities.  These events are scheduled around the existing uses of the ACC gyms and the high school turf field.  We would love to have more offerings of this type, but we are limited  by the availability of existing facilities.  However,  we need as many players and families to describe their interests in these programs so that we can accurately advocate to meet those needs.  We work to keep these grassroots programs as inexpensive and accessible as possible.

Recreational league programs

Latenight Futsal

Youth Latenight   

These leagues emphasize recreational play for enjoyment and learning.  Athens Community Soccer offers latenight programs by renting the Community Center gym after normal operating hours.  This allows us to use both halves of the gym (doubling our playing capacity) and greatly expanding the hours available for futsal.  Winter hours are in high demand at the ACC, and playing after hours is the only way that we can get gym time mid-week during the busy winter months.  We collect fees in order to schedule and pay for the facility rental and staffing costs prior to the season.

A note about Latenight programs, costs and futsal equipment.  

Athens Futsal is the futsal facet of Athens Community Soccer, a non-profit, volunteer driven organization.  Athens Futsal emerged as a collaboration between Athens Community Soccer, GASA and the Athens Community Center.
GASA provided money for our initial purchases of goals, balls, pinnies, and cones.  Currently we are working to fund the replacement and expansion of these resources through the fees collected from the latenight futsal programs.  Two thirds of the fees cover rental and staffing; the remaining one third is used to purchase goals, balls, and pinnies for futsal programs at the ACC and the Athens High School.
Because of our 2015 fall programs we were able to purchase new pinnies for the futsal programs.  If our winter programs fill we will be able to purchase new goals and balls for use at the ACC and Athens High School.  We hope to build full sets of equipment at both the ACC and the High school to support programs at both locations.

• Detailed description of the futsal programs. 
• Interest survey and comments.

New Futsal programs planned for January 2016