Youth director: "The first step to becoming a football player is to play futsal"
Carlos Noval reiterates the importance of integrating the field with the salon in developing young talents
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
Flamengo's greatest idol is a perfect example of the importance of futsal in the development of a professional player. Zico excelled in ball control, short passes, and precise dribbling. To this day, the integration between the indoor and the field is one of the mechanisms for finding young talent at Gávea. Flamengo's futsal coordinator, Luiz Antônio Torres, talks about the partnership between the club's departments.
"Futsal contributes greatly to sending athletes to field football. Of the eleven on the field in the last Copinha, four started at Fraldinha futsal: Jorge (midfielder), Daniel (goalkeeper), Cafú (forward) and Ruan Felipe (midfielder). They went from ten to eleven years old, which is usually the age they go to the field. Just now, the under-11s were the first-time champions of the Copa Brasil, in Votorantim, with the vast majority of the team coming from futsal," said Torres.
Carlos Noval, director of the club's youth soccer program, explains how the transition of young athletes is handled. "Today, there's a great deal of integration. Futsal identifies athletes who, as they reach that age, adapt to the field. The kids start with a very different methodology, regarding the size and weight of the ball, the size of the field, and different cleats. After about a month, we carefully assess who has adapted best. We don't rush, because we understand it's difficult and the boys are very young. At this age, we focus on more playful work, fundamentals, and technical aspects," he concluded.
Noval believes that the first steps in the academy make all the difference in a player's future. "The first step to becoming a soccer player is to play futsal. The short dribbles, the control of possession. You can tell who came from futsal by the player's gestures, their dribbling. The kid who played futsal already has a greater advantage," he concluded.
"Futsal contributes greatly to sending athletes to field football. Of the eleven on the field in the last Copinha, four started at Fraldinha futsal: Jorge (midfielder), Daniel (goalkeeper), Cafú (forward) and Ruan Felipe (midfielder). They went from ten to eleven years old, which is usually the age they go to the field. Just now, the under-11s were the first-time champions of the Copa Brasil, in Votorantim, with the vast majority of the team coming from futsal," said Torres.
Carlos Noval, director of the club's youth soccer program, explains how the transition of young athletes is handled. "Today, there's a great deal of integration. Futsal identifies athletes who, as they reach that age, adapt to the field. The kids start with a very different methodology, regarding the size and weight of the ball, the size of the field, and different cleats. After about a month, we carefully assess who has adapted best. We don't rush, because we understand it's difficult and the boys are very young. At this age, we focus on more playful work, fundamentals, and technical aspects," he concluded.
Noval believes that the first steps in the academy make all the difference in a player's future. "The first step to becoming a soccer player is to play futsal. The short dribbles, the control of possession. You can tell who came from futsal by the player's gestures, their dribbling. The kid who played futsal already has a greater advantage," he concluded.