Futsal - The Perfect Game to Develop Soccer Skills

Chris Yiannaki is an experienced coach developer having worked in the education sector for 15 years. Currently Chris supports postgraduate learners completing Masters and Doctoral level programs in Elite Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. As part of this, he has developed his scholarly activity, researching futsal for over a decade. This culminated in the completion of a Professional Doctorate which examined the benefits of futsal to soccer player development. As such, Chris is a world leading academic expert in this contemporary field which continues to attract attention around the world. Practically Chris has also coached in professional soccer clubs in England for 16 years working with elite youth players. In seeking to share these experiences Chris has also worked as a coach developer for The English Football Association, most recently supporting the development of futsal coaches. These combined experiences have allowed Chris to create this book, which for the first time, presents an evidence-based narrative on the benefits of futsal to soccer talent development. Michael Skubala has been actively involved in futsal since 2000 where his journey began as a player amassing over 70 international caps for England. This career evolved into coaching working in several professional youth academies whilst becoming a Physical Education teacher. Michael's success and reputation quickly grew, and he began working at the illustrious Loughborough University England, renowned for their outstanding sporting pedigree. Following success with Great Britain University teams Michael began working for The English Football Association, initially with the U23's before becoming the senior men's futsal manager in 2016. In the 2021-2022 season Michael coached the England national youth soccer teams ranging from U15-U20's reflecting Michaels outstanding reputation as a coach. Following this in 2022 Michael began a new role working as Leeds United's Under 21's Head Coach, giving further opportunities to apply his coaching skills to the development of elite high-performance players. Having amassed over 200 international level caps as both a player and coach Michael also works with UEFA supporting futsal and football coach education, positioning Michael as a world leading expert in futsal and the way it compliments soccer.

List of Figures; List of Tables; Dedications; Forewords; Dr Christopher Carling - An Academic Perspective; Marc Carmona - A Coach's Perspective; Max Kilman - A Player's Perspective; Raoni Medina - A Player's Perspective; Preface; Author Backgrounds; Dr Christopher Yiannaki; Michael Skubala; Acknowledgements; Part a - the evidence; chapter 1 - What is Futsal? a Brief Background; chapter 2 - do Skills developed on the Futsal court transfer onto the Soccer Pitch?8; chapter 3 - the Physical demands of Futsal; chapter 4 - the technical and tactical demands of Futsal; chapter 5 - the Psychological demands of Futsal Performance; chapter 6 - the development of Social Skills in Futsal Players; chapter 7 - topics of Special interest - concussion and heading; chapter 8 - areas for Further research; Part B - the Practical delivery oF FutSal; chapter 9 - cultural comparisons from around the World: how do the Best Futsal nations deliver Futsal for Soccer development?; chapter 10 - Player development: a Framework to deliver Futsal; List of Abbreviations and Glossary; Epilogue; References