History of Futsal

The Ontario Soccer Association ran the first-ever Ontario Futsal Cup in 2006.  Futsal has become an increasingly popular sport both around the world and across the province of Ontario. FIFA has named Futsal as the official indoor soccer game.  Right here in Ontario there are close to 4000 registered Futsal players, with an estimated 5000 more playing recreationally. The major hot spots for Futsal in Ontario include Ottawa, Toronto, Sudbury, Owen Sound, London and Kitchener/Waterloo with more regions like Durham beginning to start up new leagues for the January 2011 season.

"Futsal is an exciting addition to the sport and the Ontario Soccer Association welcomes the opportunity to add the Ontario Futsal Cup to its panoply of high-profile events," says Chief Executive Officer, Guy Bradbury. "It is fully consistent with the OSA's  'Play Soccer' initiative which aims to encourage participation and to facilitate soccer excellence at all levels in Ontario and Canada."

In 2009, the Futsal committee remained active in promoting the certification of referees. With the growing popularity of the game of Futsal across the province of Ontario, The Ontario Soccer Association, specifically the OSA Referee Department, developed and introduced courses in 2007 to provide education and on field training to people who were interested in becoming Futsal referees. Planning is currently underway to hold a new Futsal course for new referees. This course will be unveiled during the fall of 2010.

Although the committee's efforts to establish a Futsal coaching certification program did not materialize in the past year, they were successful in getting the CSA, along with the other interested provinces, to continue the promotion of Futsal nationwide. After approval by the CSA board of directors in the spring of 2010, the committee will be able to have FIFA provide its certification to interested coaches by fall of 2010.

This year the committee also assisted in running the Ontario Futsal Cup. The men's division was hosted by the Ottawa Carleton Futsal League, in conjunction with their 20th anniversary, and was held at the Carleton University complex. The Under 16 Girls and Under 14 Boys divisions were held at the Hoop Dome in Downsview Park, North York.

The committee was successful in sanctioning two leagues under The OSA umbrella; one from Sudbury and one from London. The increase of affiliation between leagues and The OSA is necessary to continue development towards International Competitions such as The Pan Am games, hosted by Toronto in 2015.  

The year 2009 saw the first Toronto International Soccer Show in which the committee participated.  This soccer show was very entertaining and brought great exposure to Futsal. The committee and staff were able to network and promote the history of Futsal in Ontario and offer support on where to find more information about the game and leagues in Ontario.

The latest Futsal Laws of the Game are now available. Get to know the official rules of the five-a-side sport. This booklet may not be reproduced or translated in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of FIFA (published by Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA-Strasse 20,P.O. Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland).