Perth Youth Futsal Newsletter

January 2006

Website address: scottishfutsal.co.uk Contact Number: 07849 321 938

Welcome to the new PYF Spring 2006 Futsal season and this newsletter, which has been designed to give you a background history of PYF and Futsal, a note of the rules, as well as update you with what is planned for this new season.

History of Futsal and PYF

The term Futsal is the international term used for the game. It is derived from the Spanish words for football, FUTbol, and indoor hall, SALa.

The origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of football for youth competition in YMCAs that could be played on basketball-sized courts, both indoors and out, without the use of sidewalls. Once Ceriani got the ball rolling, Futsal gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil, then spreading all over the world and now includes UEFA European and FIFA World Championships. It is the official FIFA and UEFA version of indoor football.

Perth Youth Futsal was formed in 2001, and our leagues were the first youth leagues in Scotland and have been running since November 2001. In 2004, PYF was awarded charity status by the Inland Revenue.

As well as our Friday night sessions, we have select teams also playing in the adult Scottish Futsal League, whilst PYF select teams have also featured in both youth and adult International tournaments.

PYF runs 2 seasons annually – Spring & Winter. Initially we ran 2 age groups: 11-14 & 15-17 but such is the appeal of Futsal in Perthshire that we have had to expand the age groups and we now run leagues in 3 age groups: 9-11, 12-14 & 15-17. A new addition for this season is the introduction of coaching and friendly games sessions for players aged from 5 to 8 years old.

For the 2006 season, Friday night sessions will consist of league and shoot-out competitions.

Miscellaneous Info.

Known session dates up till the end of March are: 27 Jan, 3 Feb, 10 Feb, 17 Feb, 3 Mar, 10 Mar, 17 Mar & 24 Mar. Additional dates will be announced in due course.

PYF articles should appear in the Friday edition of the Perthshire Advertiser. It is also hoped to include articles in the Courier and Evening Telegraph newspaper – details will be announced in due course. For up to date info regarding session dates etc, please check the ‘Events Calendar’ page in our website.

Rules for the Shoot-out competition

· The shoot-out competition will follow the same fixture list as the League competition.

· They will be held at the end of each League fixture and consist of a maximum of 5 attempts per team to score from the Long Penalty mark (10-meter line) within 3 seconds, either by dribbling or a direct shot.

· Rebounds are not permitted.

· Only one attempt per player and teams with less than 5 eligible players at the end of the league fixture will only be permitted to take the corresponding number of kicks.

· The shoot-out competition will be played in a league format. 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw.

· The competition winner will be the team with the most points at the end of the season. In the event of a tie in points total, a sudden-death shoot-out will ensue.

Club e-Shop

Plans are underway to add a club shop page to the website. PYF T-shirts and Futsal balls will be among the items on offer. Details will be announced in due course.

Plans are also underway to enhance the website by changing it’s appearance as well as adding new features, with completion expected by mid February. If you have any suggestions for changes to the site please send an email to the contact address within the site.