Over the last few seasons, Birmingham County FA has seen a big increase in the number of teams affiliating to play Futsal and engaging in the game.

In 2019, members of the Stourbridge & District Youth League approached us over the possibility of adding Futsal to their current provision of boys’ and girls’ football.

After consultation with Richard Dalton from La Boca Futsal Club and discussion with the SDYFL Committee, the Stourbridge & District Youth Futsal League was formed as a separate sanctioned competition.

The league decided that a central venue option of Dudley College with two Futsal courts was the best option, rather than traditional home and away venues, to help clubs with accessibility and costs. The league also opted for a bi-weekly Friday night fixture schedule, meaning that the U8, U10 and U12s had access to fortnightly Futsal playing opportunities.

After a few days of launching, the league managed to reach its full capacity of 32 teams, with many of them experiencing Futsal for the first time. The teams were separately affiliated as Futsal teams on their club record, with insurance already being covered by their Grassroots Football Policy.

The success story does not end there, however, with the U10 Trophy Event winners reaching the national semi-finals of the Youth Futsal Cup prior to its postponement.

In the future, the league is looking to expand their current set up to provide for U14 and U16s through an extra venue, as well as providing divisions for girls-only Futsal teams. This is a great opportunity not only for teams in the SDYFL, but those from further afield.

Are you a club interested in Futsal? Have you consulted your league about the opportunity? Or are you a league interested in providing central-venue Futsal?

Get in touch with Luke via: Luke.Bowles@BirminghamFA.com