Futsal in Sweden
Encyclopedia
The origins of futsal
in Sweden
date back to 2001. At that time, some indoor football
enthusiasts contacted the Swedish Football Association
(SvFF) and asked them for advice on how to play indoor soccer more seriously with futsal. Also at that time, there was a proposal from the SvFF development group not to adapt to futsal and to remain with five-a-side
. These indoor soccer
enthusiasts aborted their proposal which led them into carrying out further investigations on futsal before taking any decision.
These indoor football enthusiasts, now futsal
enthusiasts, contacted FIFA
and UEFA
for advice. They arranged a meeting with UEFA and were advised not to do anything that the SvFF disliked. UEFA also advised them not to wait for the SvFF's approval and to proceed with their own ideas of development. With UEFAs help they got a "letter of recommendation" from FIFA that said the group was "certified" as Swedish futsal developers. This letter opened up many doors in the SvFF and other institutions.
The group approached clubs, authorities, manufacturers and media companies who could further benefit the development of futsal. They launched a website, futsal.se that would serve as a portal for all futsal matters in Sweden and at the same time to put more pressure on the SvFF to act. In 2002, they started the first Swedish futsal championship. They have got 12 soccer
clubs from Stockholm
of the 2-4th division to participate. It stirred up some dust in the SvFF who now had something to make a decision upon. As the football clubs increasingly liked futsal, SvFF made a proposal to the soccer movement to adapt to futsal in favour of five-a-side in 2003.
Now, SvFF rules futsal in Sweden with the network Swedish Futsal pushing on.
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
date back to 2001. At that time, some indoor football
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
enthusiasts contacted the Swedish Football Association
Swedish Football Association
The Swedish Football Association is the governing body of football in Sweden. It organises the football leagues — Allsvenskan for men and Damallsvenskan for women — and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in Solna and is a founding member of both FIFA and UEFA...
(SvFF) and asked them for advice on how to play indoor soccer more seriously with futsal. Also at that time, there was a proposal from the SvFF development group not to adapt to futsal and to remain with five-a-side
Five-a-side football
thumb|240px|alt=Men playing football on artificial grass pitch.|Five-a-side game on astroturf pitch.Five-a-side football is a variation of association football in which each team fields five players , rather than the usual eleven on each team. Other differences from football include a smaller...
. These indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
enthusiasts aborted their proposal which led them into carrying out further investigations on futsal before taking any decision.
These indoor football enthusiasts, now futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
enthusiasts, contacted FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
for advice. They arranged a meeting with UEFA and were advised not to do anything that the SvFF disliked. UEFA also advised them not to wait for the SvFF's approval and to proceed with their own ideas of development. With UEFAs help they got a "letter of recommendation" from FIFA that said the group was "certified" as Swedish futsal developers. This letter opened up many doors in the SvFF and other institutions.
The group approached clubs, authorities, manufacturers and media companies who could further benefit the development of futsal. They launched a website, futsal.se that would serve as a portal for all futsal matters in Sweden and at the same time to put more pressure on the SvFF to act. In 2002, they started the first Swedish futsal championship. They have got 12 soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
clubs from Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
of the 2-4th division to participate. It stirred up some dust in the SvFF who now had something to make a decision upon. As the football clubs increasingly liked futsal, SvFF made a proposal to the soccer movement to adapt to futsal in favour of five-a-side in 2003.
Now, SvFF rules futsal in Sweden with the network Swedish Futsal pushing on.