Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller playing surface and mainly played indoors. Its name is derived from the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón (colloquially fútbol sala), which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football". During the sport's second world championships held in Madrid in 1985, the name fútbol de salón was used. Since then, all other names have been officially and internationally changed to futsal.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper (i.e. only five players (including the goalkeeper) are allowed on the field). Unlimited substitutes per team are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regular football.[1] The rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.
