January 15 – The first official Futsal coaching badge in north America has been announced at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) conference in Baltimore this week. The NSCAA Diploma for futsal will be created with the co-operation of U.S. Futsal.
While elsewhere in the world Futsal – the official indoor football game of FIFA – generally comes under the full control of the national federations, in the US the 5-a-side version of the game is in fact run by its own association that is affiliated to the U.S. Soccer Federation and U.S. Youth Soccer.
“We’re very pleased to be developing this valuable diploma course for soccer coaches,” said NSCAA CEO Lynn Berling-Manuel. “U.S. Futsal has been promoting futsal for 35 years and this partnership ensures that coaches are receiving first-class training.
“Futsal has taken off across the U.S. with programs and facilities cropping up everywhere. But the resources for quality coach education have not existed. We’re pleased to have U.S. Futsal contribute its expertise to make sure this course is the definitive coaching education opportunity for futsal.”
The co-branded course for coaches will be available both online and in-person starting in April 2016.
U.S. Futsal governs futsal league play in the US, with leagues designed for beginners as well as premier players of all ages. The governing body runs eight Regional Championships, culminating with the U.S. Futsal National Championship.
At the NSCAA Convention, the largest event focused on football coaching and coaches in the world with more than 5,000 coaches amongst the 11,000+ attendees, Futsal has been showcased via a number of seminars with Ian Barker, NSCAA Director of Coaching Education, and Bill Sampaio, U.S. Futsal National Director of Coaching, under the title ‘Futsal Rules & Key Player Development Concepts’.
“The game of futsal has been the learning ground for some of the greatest players that have ever stepped on a soccer field,” said Alex Para, President and CEO of U.S. Futsal. “The NSCAA has been educating soccer coaches for years, and through this great partnership, we will work together to educate our coaches on how to use futsal as a way to improve the technical skills of our soccer players.”
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