Atlanta Fire United Winter Futsal Program

AFU is moving indoors for the winter with its Futsal Program! The main focus of the winter futsal program is to improve players’ overall technical ability within an active and high-paced form of play. The games will be played in a 4v4 or 5 v. 5 format including goalkeepers. The format allows players to maximize touches on the ball, enhance passing and receiving abilities in tight spaces, and a chance to create high volumes of chances to score. While skill development is key, players will also be able to benefit from the opportunity to compete over the course of seven weekends of futsal. Players will be organized by age and gender. All games will be played with AFU Professional Staff Coaches in supervision. The program is open to players of all skill levels that want to improve in a fun and exciting environment.

Why play futsal?

Futsal is a fast-paced 5-a-side soccer game that is widely played across the world and is officially recognized by both USSF and FIFA. While it can be a sport in its own right, Futsal does not compete with mainstream soccer, but serves to support it. Futsal is widely considered a valuable tool in the development of young players to assist them in becoming more technically proficient in situations of high pressure. This makes the AFU Winter Futsal program a terrific way to allow players to hone their skills during the winter months, but with enough differentiation to keep the games fun and fresh. The time commitment and fees are minimal so other winter sports can be played in tandem easily.

Key skills and techniques used throughout Futsal games are all directly transferable to the outdoor game. Through Futsal, players have increased opportunity for: Development of agility, balance, coordination and speed Enhancing comfort level with the soccer ball Learning to make quick decisions while under pressure and in tight spaces Learning better spatial awareness Improving passing, dribbling, turning, shooting and ball control while under pressure Winter Futsal Dutch Tournament:

Overview
In order to challenge players but also increase development and opportunity, AFU will adopt the only Dutch Winter Futsal League. In this league players will play not on set teams but on varied teams each week in order to allow for different player roles and challenges. AFU Professional coaches will monitor and place players in order to create a challenging and even matches. Scoring- Each time a team 'wins' a match, with multiple matches per session, each player on the team will receive a 'point' that will be tabulated by the coaches organizing the games.
Players will be placed on different teams each session in order to challenge players for development. 4 Players from each gender/age group who attend the most sessions and earn the most 'points' from helping their team to win at the end of the winter league, will be determined as winners and be recognized on the website/facebook/twitter etc... for exampleDec 4th: Player A,B,C,D play together versus E,F,G,H and win 3 matchesDec 11th: Player A,E,C,F play together versus B,D,G,H and win 2 matchesPlayer points after these two dates: Player A and C each have 5 points