Futsal Grant Football Foundation

England Head Coach delighted as Cambridgeshire FA receives free Futsal starter pack

The packs came courtesy of a £300,000 Futsal scheme, which is funded by The FA and delivered by the Football Foundation

Cambridgeshire FA in Cambridgeshire are all geared up to start playing Futsal after receiving a free starter pack – news that has delighted Michael Skubala, England Futsal Head Coach.

The pack contains goals, balls & bag, bibs and flat markers which will hugely benefit the Cambridgeshire FA clubs accessing our youth futsal programme.

The starter packs are designed to adapt existing sports halls, playgrounds and other hard surface facilities to make them Futsal-ready. The packs came courtesy of a £300,000 Futsal scheme, which is funded by The FA and delivered by the Football Foundation.

Futsal is a five-a-side game, normally played on a flat indoor pitch with hockey-sized goals and a size four ball with a reduced bounce. The exciting, fast-paced game is played across the world and is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA.

Regarded as an important and growing game, it is hoped that the provision of equipment and courses will lead to the development of more Futsal players, leagues, competitions and facilities across the country.

The nature of the game places a large emphasis on technical skill and ability in situations of high pressure, and is subsequently an excellent breeding ground for football competencies that can be translated into the 11-a-side format of the game. 

As well as delivering the Futsal scheme, the Football Foundation delivers Grow the Game and also the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund on behalf of the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England. Since 2000, the Foundation has supported over 15,000 grassroots projects worth more than £1.4bn.

Michael Skubala, England Futsal Head Coach, said: “A big well done to Cambridgeshire FA for securing a Futsal starter pack – they have a bright future ahead of them now! We want to get more people playing the sport for the love of it and who knows; perhaps we’ll see some future international players unearthed as a result. Futsal is growing all the time and The FA, with the help of the Football Foundation, is dedicated to increasing its importance and popularity further For All.”

Katie Critchley, Coaching & Player Development Officer, Cambridgeshire FA, said: Our youth futsal programme has been really successful. We have worked closely with our youth leagues to ensure every age group has the opportunity to access futsal in Cambridgeshire. In February, we have a big futsal festival with the winners going through to the regional finals of the FA National Youth Futsal Festival. This equipment will be a huge help in ensuring that more players have the chance to develop by playing futsal.

For further information, please contact:

Katie Critchley on 01223 209037 or at katie.critchley@cambridgeshirefa.com