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Futsal: The Story of an Indoor Football Revolution
Futsal, a form of indoor football, is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Jamie Fahey uncovers its global stories, tactical innovations and fascinating history.
Futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet: over 60 million people play this lightning-fast and tactically intricate variation of indoor football. Despite its growing status, however, futsal’s history remains largely unknown and untold.
Jamie Fahey is a leading futsal expert and qualified youth coach. He spent his childhood playing endless football matches in the shattered urban landscape of 1980s Liverpool – on the same streets later graced by Wayne Rooney, the ‘last true street footballer’. Yet when Fahey’s own footballing career stalled, he realised he had been unwittingly learning the skills that pointed to his true passion.
In Futsal: The Story of the Indoor Football Revolution, Fahey makes the case for futsal’s transformative grassroots effect, both in the UK and abroad. He also tells the story of futsal’s politics, tactics and personalities – and in doing so, illuminates a hidden corner of sporting history.
Futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet: over 60 million people play this lightning-fast and tactically intricate variation of indoor football. Despite its growing status, however, futsal’s history remains largely unknown and untold.
Jamie Fahey is a leading futsal expert and qualified youth coach. He spent his childhood playing endless football matches in the shattered urban landscape of 1980s Liverpool – on the same streets later graced by Wayne Rooney, the ‘last true street footballer’. Yet when Fahey’s own footballing career stalled, he realised he had been unwittingly learning the skills that pointed to his true passion.
In Futsal: The Story of the Indoor Football Revolution, Fahey makes the case for futsal’s transformative grassroots effect, both in the UK and abroad. He also tells the story of futsal’s politics, tactics and personalities – and in doing so, illuminates a hidden corner of sporting history.
320 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2025
Great introduction to Futsal! The game we loved playing as kids on the street modified to a beautiful, tactical, and technical game. The game so loved in pockets around the world may be on the cusp of being loved even in the UK. If you want to taste what Futsal is and does, this book gives you that in abundance!
May 9, 2022
*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for supplying a copy of this e-book in return for an honest review.*
I went into reading this book hoping for a deep dive into the history and prospects of Futsal. While there is certainly some of this information present in the book, the overwhelming trend was an evangelical author preaching the gospel of Futsal, making and remaking the same case while acting a little too overkeen to tie himself into the narrative. A particular gripe was with Fahey's dismissal of non-futsal indoor soccer as "human pinball". While I don't mind futsal, the absolutism presented in this book was frustrating and became boring. Another gripe was Fahey's attempts to link everything back to his years growing up in Liverpool and coaching youth futsal. While this is mildly interesting, it wasn't necessary to continually make these points throughout the book.
I went into reading this book hoping for a deep dive into the history and prospects of Futsal. While there is certainly some of this information present in the book, the overwhelming trend was an evangelical author preaching the gospel of Futsal, making and remaking the same case while acting a little too overkeen to tie himself into the narrative. A particular gripe was with Fahey's dismissal of non-futsal indoor soccer as "human pinball". While I don't mind futsal, the absolutism presented in this book was frustrating and became boring. Another gripe was Fahey's attempts to link everything back to his years growing up in Liverpool and coaching youth futsal. While this is mildly interesting, it wasn't necessary to continually make these points throughout the book.
October 24, 2021
Essential introduction to the past, present and future of 'indoor football'. Invented in South America, developed in Europe and now on the cusp of huge popularity as money and virality gets more people interested. Jamie's narrative, informed by his own playing and coaching career, is tremendous and full of knowledge. Give the book, and the rapid sport, a go.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews