Sportingwales 8

words Richard Thomas pictures Steve Pope
Indoor football in Wales might “Everywhere in Europe and around the “We have a multi-million pound investment
never be quite the same again world is absolutely massive on playing programme linked into the business and we
after the opening of a new futsal. It’s the only form of indoor football plan to roll out 30 of these arenas up and
revolutionary centre in Cardiff. that is approved by Fifa. down the UK in key locations over the next
two years,” he explained.
@Futsal, a new multi-million pound “World class players like Ronaldo, Fabregas
company, plans to have 30 state-of-the-art and Deco. These guys all developed their “We plan to build one more this year and
futsal arenas all over the UK in the next skills playing futsal until they moved into then go into full scale roll-out next year
two years. 11-a-side game. By the time the progress when we will be looking to open three every
they have acquired the technical abilities three months.
And Cardiff is just the second location for the modern game at pace.
after the ﬁ rst one opened in Swindon in “It’s now ofﬁ cially the world’s largest-
January. “Zinadine Zidane is now retired, but you growing indoor sport.
cannot pick up a newspaper in Asia and not
@Futsal is the brainchild of its managing see Zidane playing futsal. “Already @Futsal in Swindon has made an
director Frank Rodriguez, who made his impact. One player, Brad Clark, who was
mark in the facilities management business “Although futsal was bubbling under I just playing ordinary ﬁ ve-a-side football
with Covion. There he was named young found that awareness and facilities were has now been picked by the England Futsal
entrepreneur before he and his partner lacking at a grassroots level. So, two squad.”
David Steventon sold Covion for £33m years ago I developed a vision based on
after it became the fourth fastest growing my experiences that would create the But it has been obvious England and the rest
company in the UK. next generation of football facilities based of the UK (although Ireland has a thriving
around playing futsal. futsal culture) have been slow to embrace
Now with a deep passion for football the concept.
Rodriguez is determined to spread the “What we wanted to provide was a
word about futsal – the most popular lifestyle wrapper around playing the game. “David Steventon, our chairman, has drawn
indoor sport around the rest of the globe Everywhere I went in the world whether a parallel with how the English FA have been
especially in South America, Asia and most it be Asia or South America you had music slow to grasp the potential of futsal.
parts of Europe. and video playing in the background. People
made it an even rather than just playing “He drew a parallel to the English FA back in
Futsal, derived from the Portugese futebol football and getting changed again.” the 1950s who thought they ruled the world
de salao and the Spanish futbol sala and and it took a team of unknown Hungarians
started in Uruguay in 1930, is the fastest Added Rodriguez: “We built the pilot site to come over with football boots that were
growing indoor sport in the world and in Swindon on January 24 and that has been cut below the ankle. Hungary beat England
played by an estimated 30 million people hugely successful and on the back of that 6-3 at Wembley to give them the biggest
globally. It is also the only indoor football we have opened the second one in Cardiff, stufﬁ ng they have ever had on its own soil.
to be ofﬁ cially recognised by UEFA and which we are very excited about.
FIFA. “That was a classic example of English FA
“It’s the premier futsal dedicated arena in snobbery and his belief that while the FA has
But in the UK futsal has not made much of the UK as far as I am concerned. Cardiff ignored things like futsal that other nations
an impact …..until now. will cater for up to 300 teams playing which have embraced futsal have progressed.
regularly seven days a week in leagues and
“Coming from Spanish parentage I had competitions, catering for males, female, “You can’t help but feel it’s had a great
grown up, playing coaching and watching boys and girls. bearing on the way they play as individuals
futsal,” said Rodriguez, himself a UEFA and as a team.”
licensed coach (pictured right). “In Swindon we now run the biggest Futsal
leagues in the country and we think Cardiff It seems Wales will further beneﬁ t from
“I’ve watched the emergence of Futsal in is going to leave Swindon on the starting futsal with plans to open another centre in
this country and watched it bubbling away. line with the interest we have already had. north Wales possibly next year.
“Having sold Covion I had a vision to “Cardiff has six pitches, two more than “The next one will be in the Midlands and
Futsal Kick Off
develop @Futsal as a business creating and Swindon, which makes it a much bigger there is a leading football club in the north
establishing the next generation of indoor operation.” of Wales and they are very keen to set up a
football facilities that would build futsal up franchise site there,” conﬁ rmed Rodriguez.
SW
from the grassroots. Rodriguez is certainly ambitious and
48
deﬁ nitely motivated in a bid to put futsal “So the next two are likely to be one in the
on the UK map. Midlands and one in north Wales.”
sportingwales
issue8twothousand&nine
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