Futsal aims to reduce school football injuries in Vorarlberg

About 2,400 people in Vorarlberg are treated in hospital each year after football accidents, most of them children and young people. Futsal could help reduce injury risks in school sports, ORF reports.

Figures from the Road Safety Board’s accident database show that around 1,700 of those treated are children, teenagers and young adults aged up to 24. Martin Pfanner of the board said the risk of injury in football should not be underestimated.

The aim is to bring futsal, an indoor version of football, into more school gym classes and encourage pupils to play it in their free time. Evaluations at several middle schools in Vorarlberg suggest the game is popular with young people, Pfanner said.

Futsal is already established in competitive play. Youth indoor championships organised by the Vorarlberg Football Association and nationwide school championships are now played under futsal rules, said Andreas Kopf, the association’s director of sport. He said the sport was still uncommon in everyday school classes.

Teachers took part this week in the eighth futsal training course at the football academy in Bregenz. The Road Safety Board presented the scientific background, while instructors and coaches from the Vorarlberg Football Association and ÖFB taught the rules, first in theory and then in practice alongside professional footballers from Altach, Lustenau and Bregenz. Further courses are planned for next year.

Futsal, which originated in South America and is recognised by FIFA, emphasises safety, technique and controlled play. Pushing and reckless or excessively forceful contact are strictly penalised. Its ball bounces less than a regular football, making it easier to control and reducing high balls and aerial challenges, which are a typical source of injury risk.

Key rules

Teams can field no more than five players. In certain situations, the ball must be played within four seconds; if the limit is exceeded, the opposing team takes possession. Opponents must stand at least five metres away for kick-ins, free kicks and corners.

Futsal is played indoors on a rectangular court marked with touchlines and without boards. After the ball goes out over a touchline, it is kicked back into play along the floor. Pushing, tackles and other excessively hard challenges result in a free kick. Once a team reaches a set number of fouls, each subsequent foul gives the opposition a direct free kick from the 10-metre mark, without a defensive wall.