Starting in 2023, NorCal Premier Soccer will expand its competitions to include futsal, a fast-paced, small-sided game that strong soccer nations around the world find paramount to player development at young ages.

NorCal will begin hosting a Futsal State Cup as well as Playdates all across the state in order to help improve the level of the game overall throughout Northern California.

“Futsal has been proven to be one of the best player development tools around the world, and many NorCal clubs already integrate futsal into their programing,” said NorCal Director of Competitions Dan Chamberlain. “We are excited to move into the futsal space after overwhelming feedback from our members asking us to bring futsal into the NorCal ecosystem. As with everything we do, we will seek to collaborate with our members to help build a futsal environment that enables all NorCal clubs to bring futsal to their players.”

Additionally, NorCal is currently in the process of forming a Futsal Technical Advisory Committee that will oversee the introduction of new local programs and help bring the sport of futsal into the forefront of the youth game.

NorCal is asking for any clubs interested in hosting Playdates and any futsal experts willing to join the conversation to reach out to begin collaboration ahead of next year’s launch.

More information about NorCal’s new futsal programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Futsal

Played with a smaller, heavier ball on a hard surface roughly the size of a basketball court, futsal is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide. Proponents of the game laud its ability to instill creativity in players at a young age and help provide them with technical skills that are directly transferable to the outdoor game.

Many of the best players in the world grew up playing futsal with some, like 2002 World Cup Golden Boot winner Ronaldo, exclusively participating in the sport until making the transition to the outdoor game as a teenager.

Futsal games encourage attacking play and give each player on the field a plethora of touches. Unlike indoor soccer, there is no wall to play off of and the properties of the ball incentivize players to work on dribbling and short combination play.

The vast majority of top clubs in the world utilize some sort of futsal program at the youth levels while some even feature professional teams as well.

About NorCal Premier Soccer

A California Nonprofit Benefit Corporation, NorCal Premier Soccer is the leading organization for developing players, clubs, coaches and referees in the passionate soccer region that is Northern California. Through a membership of more than 260 different clubs, covering more than 80,000 competitive youth players, NorCal Premier Soccer provides an unmatched level of quality programs, assisting the development of the overall soccer structure in Northern California, including year-round competition, NorCal State Cup, a free Player Development Program, and a heavily-subsidized coach, referee, and club education program.