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FUTSAL COURSE APRIL 2018

Bradley Totney

New Member
Hi guys,
I have a futsal referee course coming up next month, it will be my first time diving into this style of the game. What should I expect and how does the promotion work and how often are the games?

Cheers,
BT
 
The Referee Store
The game's rather similar to soccer/football. There's a few weird exceptions, but you'll get used to most of those pretty swiftly.

I can't say anything about promotion and frequency of games, as that is particular to your region (especially the latter).

Where I am, we currently have a terrible system of promotion (essentially non-existent), and I did 50 men's games this year, plus 2 U16 matches.

And thankfully, I'm now done (as a referee) for the season. Only have a national championship to help administer :)
 
Hi guys,
I have a futsal referee course coming up next month, it will be my first time diving into this style of the game. What should I expect and how does the promotion work and how often are the games?

Cheers,
BT
The different laws you'll pick up quickly. I found that you 'look' at play differently - you're on the side of the pitch and on the smaller courts the're always a crowd, so it can be tricky getting used to how to 'see' fouls.

And dissent and player management is a bit different. The fact that you can run away from a player in outdoor plays a big role in player management. You can't in Futsal. The player arguing with you is never more than 20 yards or so away!!
 
Faster in just about every aspect. You will get used to thinking and acting fast. It will help improve your outdoor refereeing.
 
I did a game of womens futsal last week. I read up on the rules so didn't go in blind. I spoke to the manager whom I had booked for AA on Wednesday and he also clarified a few things which I wasn't sure about. It is fast. No thinking time for decisions. Its odd reffing from one side with the 2 coaches operating as ARs but it was fun. Wouldn't want to do it all the time although when I turned up for my game it had just started to tip it down!
 
Futsal comes from the Spanish term fútbol de salon or the Portuguese term futebol de salão, both of which roughly translate to 'football in the hall'. It was shortened to futsal when you the game was adopted by FIFA.
(So not sure why @Tino Best was playing outside although it is permitted in law.)
In the UK, we currently have 5 levels with L5 being the entry level. This is proposed to change but it hasn't yet.
At the lower level there's plenty of junior futsal games and Futsal Five leagues so, check with your Country FA for details. There's also a FA Futsal appointments officer who can help get you games at the right level. I can pass you his name of you're interested.
Games and experience will get you to Level 4 and that should get you into some national league exposure as 3rd referee or 2nd referee. This'll be at the Division Two level.
At level 3, you'll get 1st referee games at Division Two level and possible Division One matches. There's also a chance of being 3rd referee at the Super League level.
Level 2 is mostly Super League and Division One and then Level 1 is Super League.
England has 2 FIFA referees, one who has refereed the World Cup final. I think Wales has 1 FIFA official. In the Super League ranks we have the use of 4 FIFA officials plus another World final referee in the assessors.
The Super League is now a national game and standards are rising. The referees are improving and maybe, just maybe, it'll take off in the near future. Could be a good time to start.
BTW, I'm at Level 3 and hoping to go to Level 2 for next season.
 
(So not sure why @Tino Best was playing outside although it is permitted in law.)
Didn't explain myself very well. It started raining just as I was entering my venue and I thought glad I'm not outside in this!
 
(So not sure why @Tino Best was playing outside although it is permitted in law.)
.
Out of refereeing outdoor and Futsal, Futsal is the only one I had to suspend for hail :p
(tournament using outside courts.....witches hats only :p - although with leaky roofs I've had plenty of indoor Futsal games called off for rain!!)
 
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Note that the futsal laws have not been updated in line with the main LotG so e.g. Kick off forwards;)
Judging sliding tackles is the hardest thing i think, especially GKs diving with feet.
Learn the signals, point like an AR for kick ins and corners.
Count everything (kick ins, goalkeeper posession, corners) with the hand straight up.
DFK/IDFK are counted without the hand/fingers.

... As an aside and question to others, round my way players have got used to refs verbally counting. This used to annoy me... Nothing in the laws says we should count out loud... But i've sobered a bit on this... I'm 5th season futsal, all my games are with two refs... I have begrudgingly accepted it so i always either vocalise the start and/or 1... What about you people?
 
Note that the futsal laws have not been updated in line with the main LotG so e.g. Kick off forwards;)
Judging sliding tackles is the hardest thing i think, especially GKs diving with feet.
Learn the signals, point like an AR for kick ins and corners.
Count everything (kick ins, goalkeeper posession, corners) with the hand straight up.
DFK/IDFK are counted without the hand/fingers.

... As an aside and question to others, round my way players have got used to refs verbally counting. This used to annoy me... Nothing in the laws says we should count out loud... But i've sobered a bit on this... I'm 5th season futsal, all my games are with two refs... I have begrudgingly accepted it so i always either vocalise the start and/or 1... What about you people?
Usually go with a vocal 'play' followed by 'one'. They usually work the rest out.
 
... As an aside and question to others, round my way players have got used to refs verbally counting. This used to annoy me... Nothing in the laws says we should count out loud... But i've sobered a bit on this... I'm 5th season futsal, all my games are with two refs... I have begrudgingly accepted it so i always either vocalise the start and/or 1... What about you people?
The proper teaching is, if the player is delaying, whistle, then start a silent count (only showing the fingers.

Having said that, when players are learning (ie, are quite young), then starting the count vocally isn't so bad.
 
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The proper teaching is, if the player is delaying, whistle, then start a silent count (only showing the fingers.

Having said that, when players are learning (ie, are quite young), then starting the count vocally isn't so bad.
Er... This comment is going to cause confusion... Are you referring to a specific scenario?
Because there is no (or not usually a) ...whistle before a kick in count or goalkeeper restart or possession count... The count with the hand starts when the player is ready to take the restart and a whistle is not necessary (someone with better wifi could quote the LotG! Please;)
 
Er... This comment is going to cause confusion... Are you referring to a specific scenario?
Because there is no (or not usually a) ...whistle before a kick in count or goalkeeper restart or possession count... The count with the hand starts when the player is ready to take the restart and a whistle is not necessary (someone with better wifi could quote the LotG! Please;)
Sorry -- was unclear.

If, on a RESTART, a player is delaying being ready for said restart (ie, standing for a kick-in, but HOLDING the ball, waiting for his team to get into position, make some subs, etc), then a short whistle, and begin the count.

Don't use your voice. The whistle, combined with the hand going up, tells everyone what's happening. Nothing more needs to be said.

(And yes, as usual, with futsal, there's a lot of stuff NOT in the book, just like soccer/football used to be...)
 
@AlexF I took your original comment as referring to free kicks only which makes sense to whistle. For kick ins and goal clearance I would just start the count when I think they are ready with no whstle. They should generally know the four second clause for those restarts as they are very common processes. If I see they are being too slow around the two seconds mark I yell out "let's go"
 
@AlexF I took your original comment as referring to free kicks only which makes sense to whistle.
Definitely a good practice. Just make sure that there's no visible count for these... ;)

For kick ins and goal clearance I would just start the count when I think they are ready with no whstle.
Yeah, that's definitely the normal practice. If they're not obviously and immediately ready, but obviously delaying, then that's where the whistle comes into play.
 
Sorry -- was unclear.

If, on a RESTART, a player is delaying being ready for said restart (ie, standing for a kick-in, but HOLDING the ball, waiting for his team to get into position, make some subs, etc), then a short whistle, and begin the count.

Don't use your voice. The whistle, combined with the hand going up, tells everyone what's happening. Nothing more needs to be said.

(And yes, as usual, with futsal, there's a lot of stuff NOT in the book, just like soccer/football used to be...)
Interesting but have not seen this or been instructed to do this. It is odd IMHO. I'm polite and yell "start" as the fist goes up if i am starting the count while someone is e.g holding the ball when they should getting on with a kick in. Whistling during a restart (double beep is standard) if you want to hold the restart, correct something, warn etc. Yes, of course... But to start the count.... Would cause great confusion here...
 
Interesting but have not seen this or been instructed to do this. It is odd IMHO. I'm polite and yell "start" as the fist goes up if i am starting the count while someone is e.g holding the ball when they should getting on with a kick in. Whistling during a restart (double beep is standard) if you want to hold the restart, correct something, warn etc. Yes, of course... But to start the count.... Would cause great confusion here...
It doesn't seem to cause much confusion at the top levels. It's not a practice used often (especially in stopped-clock matches), but is used when someone is delaying for inappropriate reasons.

It can cause some moments of confusion among players who aren't all that familiar with the Laws, but once explained the first time... they tend to pick things up pretty quickly.
 
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