When I was younger, I was always the lad going to the youth club playing football instead of going out drinking..I was always the lad playing football every lunch time and after school instead of going out socialising and doing homework etc. Straight away, after playing after school, I would sometimes skip evening meals and kick the ball against the wall working on my touch and kicking it off the roof working on my touch further. My philosophy has always been quick 1-2 touch football so futsal was perfect. Not only does futsal promote this further, but also my movement improved.

I have been playing for the University Futsal team for nearly 3 years now and I have not looked back. When it comes to transferring this to 11-a-side and 5-a-side, the improvement can certainly be recognised. Straight away you feel confident on the ball and when your surrounded my a number of players in a tight area; straight away you know what to do with the ball.

This year we reached the finals in the nationals; going out to Brunel. All the teams played such different futsal. Teams such as Loughborough and Hartbury had a tactical, football style about them. On the other hand teams such as ourselves, Brunel and Brighton had more freedom about our play; so every team is different. We try and play 1-2 touch futsal and we just say “express yourself on the court”. There's always going to be tactics, but like I said; every team is different.

When it comes to coaching, pursuing a coaching badge in futsal was inevitable. When coaching the U-10's, I see straight away their confidence on the ball and how later on in life when it comes to transferring to the 11-a-side game; they will certainly stand out.

Being a 3rd year student, I decided to focus my dissertation on the futsal and how it can improve elements of football (such as passing, ball control etc) There has been little research out there regarding this as futsal has not been played in this country for that long. Hopefully people will begin to see the advantages of this game instead of a threat and implement it into the youth system. Countries such as Brazil and Spain implement it into their youth system and transfer to 11-a-side when they get older. By this team they have had more touches of the ball and their confidence can easily be seen. Lets hope one day our country can do the same one day because our country is so far behind technically.