Futsal's a Winner in Penrith

16th December 2011

This season the Penrith & District Junior Football League (P&DJFL) has adopted a brand new format of football to aid the development of players for their under-7 and under-8 age groups.

The monthly Futsal festivals held at Penrith Leisure Centre form a vital part of the Penrith and District Junior Football Leagues plans to grow and retain the number of teams within the league by offering flexible formats of football for players to enjoy. This, paired with their detailed Charter Standard League Development Plan has given them the opportunity to, not only cater for more teams but also contribute to raising the standards of the game in Penrith and the surrounding areas.

Colin Hodgson - Chairman of P&DJFL "Following consultation between the League and Cumberland FA it was identified that we needed to provide football for U7 and U8 teams due to our entry level being at U10 - so we started with U7 and U8 outdoor Festivals held at Frenchfields last March. The festivals were a great success and at the start of the 2011/12 season, dates were set in stone for 6 further festivals to be held outdoors.
In order to maintain the momentum from the outdoor festivals it was felt the winter period could hinder the enjoyable experience the players had enjoyed whilst playing outdoors. With this in mind we decided to introduce indoor 'futsal' football for the younger age groups as a retention tool from November through to March. It was hoped this new format would keep the U7 and U8 players interested in playing the game during the winter."

The players have now had the opportunity to take part in two festivals so far this winter, with 32 teams taking part. More Futsal festivals are planned for 2012 to keep the momentum going.

Futsal is a 5 v 5 game played with a heavier ball allowing players to have more touches of the ball during the fast paced, closely contested game.

The players are already displaying increased levels of skill due to the amount of contact time with the ball - Colin Hodgson continued "I am very impressed by the improvement from the first session to the second which was held at the weekend. The excitement and speed at which they played the game, the touch and control along with player's movement has already moved up a level and if the improvement continues there will be a vast improvement with the quality of football played when they return to grass in March."

It's not only the players who have benefited from Futsal. The coaches from local FA Charter Standard Clubs were given the opportunity to attend a Futsal 'taster session' to give them a flavour of what the game is all about. Ten coaches came along to the session delivered by Paul Jennings (Disability Football Development officer) and Craig Lewis (Football Development Officer) from Cumberland FA and went away with knowledge to prepare their players for the festivals.

Colin Hodgson concluded, "There is no doubt the children enjoy it, they could not wait to get in the sports hall on Sunday and the signs of enjoyment are there for all to see, their faces tell the story - smiles a mile wide. The celebrations when the team scores, players all wanting the ball and at the end of the session there is a buzz in the building as they all discuss their own personal achievements along with the little red rosy cheeks as a result of 40 minutes of Futsal played by each team."

Craig Lewis, Cumberland FA added "These festivals are giving players the opportunity to benefit from a varied programme of football, played in the right spirit but most importantly the games are being played in a fit for purpose environment for the children to learn and express themselves fully, therefore giving the best chance for their first experiences of football to be enjoyable and everlasting."

For more information about the Penrith & District Junior Football League (An FA Charter Standard League) - please email colin.47@btinternet.com<mailto:colin.47@btinternet.com>

Futsal is also popular in Cumbria, with girls across the county also taking part in the small sided format.