Athens Futsal: October 2014

Nov 6th - Dec 18th 2014

Tuesday and Thursday Evenings, 6:00 to 9:00

Recreational Youth Futsal League

Athens Community Center

The Athens Community Center is offering a Recreational Coed Youth Futsal League for players in grades 5,6,7 and 8. Our hope is that this fun, fast paced game can be enjoyed by many players in the Athens community. This is a learning focused, recreational league where emphasis is placed on skill development and team play.

Futsal is different from indoor soccer in several key respects. (1) Futsal is played with a low bounce ball on hard court surfaces with limited space. The low bounce ball helps keep the ball on the ground for quick passes and controlled trapping. (2) Futsal is a minimum contact sport, unlike soccer which is a contact sport. This means that futsal players are held to a higher standard of self control, and the limits of legal contact are much more strictly enforced. This is both to elevate the skillful nature of the game and to protect against unnecessary injury. (3) Futsal at the ACC is played in a general purpose gymnasium and therefore additional restraint is required for all players in terms of rules of play, striking the ball and avoiding collisions.

The ACC Youth Futsal League invites participation from boys and girls in grades 5,6,7, and 8. The coed league will begin with a mandatory skills workshop. During the workshop players will be encouraged to practice and demonstrate their skill with both feet in 5 fundamental areas of play: dribbling, shooting, ball possession, quick passing, long passing. The goal behind this workshop is to assess player skill levels and to help the coaches and league organizers to assemble teams that reflect the goals of parity, fun, and high quality play.

We anticipate dividing the league into two levels, the “A” League, composed primarily of 5th and 6th graders, and the “Z” League, composed primarily of 7th and 8th graders. Players will be assigned into A or Z teams based on a combination of age, futsal skills, leadership ability, and maturity. (Player preferences will be taken into account as much as possible, within reasonable limits). We are aiming for three teams of 8 players in both the A and Z leagues. Teams play with 6 field players and no goalies. Within each league we will aim for approximate parity in team skills with the understanding that more balanced games are better learning and more fun for the players. Practices and matches for A League will be held between 6:00 and 7:30; Z League between 7:30 and 9:00.

The leagues will work to maximize playing time for all players. If we have three teams in each league we will plan on each team playing 1 game against each opponent every night. The league will hold 3 games per night, each team will play 2 games of 24 minutes (1 min for half time) with 5 min of warm up before each game. The exact plan for game length and organization will depend on the number of players in each league.

The league is seeking parents and other adults in the soccer community who are willing to coach a team in the Recreational Coed Youth Futsal League. Please contact Erin Helms [ehelms@ci.athens.oh.us] to learn more about getting involved in this exciting new league