With the growth of futsal in the UK at an all time high there has never been a better time to get involved in the game, whether it be as a player, a coach or futsal technical specialist.

The International Futsal Academy already has a well established and successful Futsal and Education Programme for players, and we want to expand this success into a specific education programme for coach development.  The first intake of coaching students will be academic year starting September 2019.

The three year Futsal Coaching and Education Programme will equip aspiring futsal coaches with the necessary skills, knowledge and practical opportunities, and all whilst they study towards a University degree.  Students can choose from numerous 3 year BSc degrees, all delivered by Loughborough College and accredited by Loughborough University.

The programme will develop coaching and management knowledge and techniques across all areas of the game, both on court and off court, and across different player age groups.

The link below gives an overview of a generic pathway for the programme:

Futsal Coach Development Programme

Parts of the programme can be individualised for each coach depending on their current levels of knowledge and experience, and their specific future career goals.  Please contact us at [email protected] for further information and to discuss your specific coach development requirements.

At the IFA we are dedicated in developing the successful futsal coaches of tomorrow.  As such places on the Futsal Coaching Development Programme will be limited to ensure each coach can take full advantage of the IFA’s support, resources and development opportunities.

The International Futsal Academy has a long and impressive list of graduates to be exceptionally proud of and Mark Croft most definitely sits firmly amongst that group. Having already gained 25 caps representing his country and gone on from Loughborough to play for Guardia Perticara in Italy’s Serie B he really is a trail blazer for English futsal players.

One of the IFA’s current goalkeepers, Dijari Marouf, (who incidentally himself has been called for international duties with Iraq), spoke with Mark about his futsal experiences to date and on advice he can give to the younger players starting their futsal journey.

How are things going for you in Italy?

Crazy, it’s been such a great learning curve for me these last 2 years. I’ve met some fantastic people who have helped guide me to where I am today. I’ll be forever grateful for this opportunity.

What is the biggest difference between futsal in Italy and in England?

I get asked this question a lot. For me, except from in Serie A, the technical ability of the players is very similar. Where Italy excels is on the tactical side, which is due to players participating in futsal from an early age.

There is also a difference in venues. Most teams will own a facility meaning fewer lines on the court. Also the sport currently has a much higher appeal in Italy, therefore attracting a great atmosphere to the games. I remember one game last year we had over 800 people watching with drums, singing, the whole lot!

What do you think is most important for the future of Futsal in England?

I think the most important thing is to get kids into the sport as early as possible, whether this be through schools or academies. I also feel that the SL needs more coverage, that could be through a social media page that posts results, tables, team of the week that kind of thing or a streaming service so that games are streamed live more consistently.

But I also think for this to happen the league needs to be more consistent in terms of fixtures, here in Italy every team will play on Saturday at 4pm, which is easier for the coverage

What are your feelings for the imminent World Cup qualification stages?

I’m very excited. I was involved in the last World Cup campaign but with very little experience. So I’m really looking forward to Latvia and hopefully playing a bigger role than the last.

What’s your dream?

My dream has always been to be a role model for all upcoming Futsal goalkeepers in the UK and inspiring more people to get involved in the game.

How important is to you to have gained a Degree alongside your Futsal career?

Vital! For all players that want to play a professional sport, not just Futsal, it’s crucial to have an education behind you. A severe injury could cause you to stop playing sport and without a good education, you could be struggling to find an alternative path in life.

Also I found that having a distraction from Futsal in the form of a degree helped me keep my head down and stay organised which for sure helped me within my training. Also other work besides Futsal helps switch off the Futsal brain, however much you love to play the sport you need days off to recuperate and having a degree to focus on was great for that.

How important was the IFA and Loughborough Futsal in your development?

Everything. I hadn’t even heard of Futsal before Loughborough and wouldn’t be where I am today without the IFA or Loughborough Futsal Club.

The full time training programme offered by the IFA prepared me for the professional setups I play for today. The coaching staff have such a large depth of knowledge and I took full advantage of that from every training session.

What do you miss most about your time at Loughborough?

The ‘togetherness’ of the group. Loughborough is such a great place as everything and everyone is close by. Me and the other players would regularly meet up out of training times as a group and it was just an all round great environment.

Any advice for kids starting Futsal now?

I’d say for all the young players out there, in addition to your training, watch as many videos online of Futsal in other countries as you can. I learnt a lot from watching the likes of Paco Sedano. I would watch his decision-making and work out why he did certain actions at specific times and then take that back to my training and try it out.

How should players in the UK approach playing abroad?

First of all the most important thing is that you have a highlights reel prepared. From there I would suggest contacting players that you know that have played professionally abroad as they will have the contact details to help find you an agent. Also it’s good if you build up your social media pages so that teams looking at you can understand what you’re about and check out more videos on you page (it’s basically your sporting CV).

We wish Mark continued success and can’t wait to see what else is to come in his futsal career.

Interview by IFA’s Goalkeeper Dijari Marouf

As their first term at the International Futsal Academy in Loughborough draws to a close we catch up with the Fleetwood boys Joe Hulme and Jamie Hunter to see how they have settled in to their new home.  Both boys have made an amazing start to the year, fully immersing themselves in everything that the IFA and Loughborough has to offer – a particular highlight being Jamie’s commentary skills being put to good use!! Let’s see what they have to say about their first few months with us:

Joe tell us a bit about you, where were you before joining the IFA at Loughborough?

Before joining the IFA at Loughborough I was at Fleetwood Town’s education programme.  I was introduced to Futsal at Fleetwood at the age of 16 and enjoyed the game the moment I started to play.

How are you settling in at the IFA and Loughborough?

I feel I have settled in well, it’s been a few months here now and I really feel I have found my place.

What has been the best thing so far about being on the IFA?

The best thing for me is to be able to train and play with very good players. Everyone in the team has a lot of talent and this makes training very intense. The standard of play in National League 1 is higher than I have played before which is what I need as I want to develop and become the best player I can.

What do you think about the Coaching Staff?

They are good. It’s quite different to what I am used to, a lot more tactical and looking at specific aspects like defensive systems, but I think I am doing well.

Which futsal player do you most aspire to be like and why?

I wouldn’t say there is just one. I think you can learn different things from many players such as Ricardinho, Ferrao, Elisandro and many others. But as a pivot I would probably say Elisandro, as his ability to create and score goals is world class.

What do you think about Loughborough in general?

Loughborough has a very nice town centre, with many shops and nightlife that isn’t far away from my accommodation. The facilities at the University and College are on another level as they have nearly everything you can think off. I’m really enjoying Loughborough!

Would you recommend the IFA?

Yeah, of course yes, it’s a good after school pathway, especially if you are interested in Futsal definitely.

Jamie tell us a bit about you, where were you before joining the IFA at Loughborough?

Before I joined the IFA I was at Fleetwood town on the BTEC course studying sports coaching and playing futsal, it’s where I started. I had two of the best years there.

How are you settling in at the IFA?

I have settled in well. It was a bit tough at the beginning with all the training sessions and then with all the lectures, but I have found a rhythm and I feel I am doing well. I have also settled in well to the accommodation. Everyone from the IFA, the wider Loughborough Futsal programme, the Coaches and everyone else have been very welcoming to me.

What has been the best thing so far about being on the IFA?

The support and being around the players. It’s surprised me a lot the standard of coaching and the level of other players around me. The lads are quality to be around on and off the court. It’s great receiving the support from the coaching staff as it was hard to move away from home, I couldn’t fault them.

What do you think about the Coaching Staff?

This nicely follows on from my previous point – they are fantastic. For me, an important aspect of being a coach is how they are off the court too and having the ability to talk to players on any level about anything – that’s what really makes a great coach and all of them possess that trait.

Which futsal player do you most aspire to be like and why?

I couldn’t give you one in specific. I admire the more experienced players here at Loughborough that play at the highest level within the Super League setting a good example but like I said before they are all great lads I couldn’t fault any of them.

What do you think about Loughborough in general?

It’s different – I’ve been in Fleetwood for 18 years so it’s a big change. The facilities here are something I feel separates the two – what I have available to me here linked with the programme is unreal. Despite all the great things here though there is no place like home.

Would you recommend the IFA?

Sure I would recommend it, I am putting it out there already. It’s a fantastic opportunity to play at the highest-level as well as learn and develop around the best people.

The International Futsal Academy (IFA) are proud to announce a new partnership with Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI), a top university in Portugal.  The partnership aims to provide top level working placements for Masters students from the Portuguese University, whilst also enhancing the experience of our IFA student-players with high quality coaching and technical support from one of the best futsal nations in the World.

Miguel Martin is the first Masters student who joined us at the end of August.  Miguel is in his final year of a Sports Training Masters, having completed a degree in Sports Science.  Initially his main role within the IFA programme will be to assist Joao Almeida (Head Coach) in training sessions, provide individualised analysis on player performance and to provide analysis on the competition (our opposition better watch out for Mr Martin!!).

Miguel has settled well into his new role in the UK and he is looking forward to adding value to the IFA programme.  He states that his aim is to “help the IFA’s student-players grow in all directions as players and also as people too”.

We look forward to working with Miguel and the UBI on this exciting partnership.

Former IFA boy, Curtis Mason, is set to return to Loughborough to join the staff team as our Head of Strength and Conditioning for the 2018/19 season.

After graduating from Loughborough in 2017 with a degree in Sports Science Curtis has been working as a Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer for the last year.  He has continued his playing career with Kettering Futsal Club and also been an integral part of the England U23’s and most recently as part of the Senior national side.

However, he’s never made it a secret that he’d always hoped to return to Loughborough and he believes this season is the perfect opportunity for him to do that whilst also giving something back to the academy programme. Curtis says “I’m excited to experience things from a new perspective as part of the coaching staff; sharing my knowledge and experience with the players“.

Curtis reflects back on his time on the IFA as a student-player:

At the IFA and Loughborough there is an overarching principle that we aim to offer all of our student-players – ‘opportunity’.  With an education from a top 5 UK university, regularly voted best in the World for sport, coupled with the elite futsal training from the IFA there are endless opportunities after graduating.

As we bid farewell to the latest IFA graduates, who are starting to define their immediate future, we can clearly see they are taking full advantage of the amazing opportunities they have had.  And there’s a common denominator linking all of our graduates: wanting to remain in the game.

Super League Clubs have historically been a welcoming destination to our graduates, with lots of our former student-players spread around the country still playing the game.  And this year’s graduates are no exception.  Ben Amare is set to head to Southend (formerly known as London City), and Kyle Lilley turns his sight north being announced for Junior Roberti’s York City. Both highlight the amazing FA Cup run of Loughborough’s Development team as their biggest highlight of their time on the IFA programme.  The duo are hoping to carry their success to their new teams.

Steven Dovey, who captained Loughborough Development team to that historical FA Cup semi-final and more recently to promotion into Division 1, is set to return to his home town.  He hopes to help bring new National League club City of Peterborough into the spotlight of English futsal. Steven has already found a job working in Social Sports for the University of Lincoln Students’ Union. He hit the jackpot in his first job application as a new Sports Science graduate.

Also hoping to improve the chances of a side in the lower divisions of the National League will be Joe Payne. The goalkeeper, who earned his first England cap this year, has accepted a scholarship to study a Masters at the University of Nottingham.  He will join a significant cohort of former IFA and Loughborough student-players already in the squad.

Full of excitement is Blaise Gapp, who will be trialling for Portuguese Second Division club ABC Nelas, in pursuit of his first professional futsal contract. After scoring twice in the 2018 BUCS final to help Loughborough bring the National Universities Championship to its rightful home, the hopes are high for someone with the appropriate nickname ‘The Blonde Pitbull’.

The dynamic duo of Ryan Waring-Mitchell and Jamie Hallas are set to find jobs locally to Loughborough.  Both want to continue playing futsal with us at the highest possible level, reluctant to leave the bubble just yet.

With degrees from such a top class institute we look forward to seeing how these two get on in the very near future.

Alex Turfrey will also be staying in Loughborough to play for the Super League team.  He will continue his coaching career, which saw him gaining promotion with the Students’ second team in BUCS.  The next step for him is taking on the challenge of leading Women’s Futsal in Loughborough, as National League and BUCS 1st coach. Taking over from the IFA’s Callum De-Gruchy, who took the team to the FA Futsal Cup semifinal this year, will be no easy feat.We wish all of our graduates a long and prosperous career both in futsal and professionally.  We know we will be keeping in touch with all of our graduates, the IFA and Loughborough family will always be their home and our doors are always open.