FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘Bruiser Blair’ puts Berlusconi in hospital playing 5-a-side football,

 then calls for greater competition in school sport.

The Futsal Premier League may have the answer to Tony’s call….
 as well as help protect our world leaders from injury

Sep 9th 2004. London. In the same week as Tony Blair got a little over-zealous with his tackles on his Italian counter-part Silvio Berlusconi during a game of 5-a-side, Blair and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell have called for the return of competitive sport in schools, and list soccer as one of the key sports.

The Futsal Premier League - (The FPL), while upset for Berlusconi of course, were absolutely delighted to hear of the government’s enthusiasm for more football and competition in schools.

The FPL is a leading provider in the Brazilian form of 5-a-side soccer known to the rest of the world as Futsal, (origin ‘futebol de sala’, ‘futebol de salao’). Played primarily indoor or on hard court surfaces, Futsal has been played for over 70 years on the streets of Brazil. Why are the Brazilians so good? Many believe Futsal may be the answer. Promoted worldwide by FIFA and UEFA, Futsal has now hit the shores of the UK, and the FPL is working around the country with their KidStart Coaching and Samba Cup competition for schools and clubs. Coaching sessions even include some Brazilian Samba music to spice things up a bit and add a bit of fun for the kids.

If only Tony had given the FPL a call before heading over to Italy, they could have lined up some free coaching lessons. Berlusconi is probably very familiar with Futsal as Italy is one of the world leaders in Futsal, and has more registered Futsal players than for 11-a-side. We don’t need our world leaders taking un-necessary risks such as they did. Futsal would have been ideal for them.

 Futsal is a non-contact form of football, played with a special low-bounce ball. The game is fever-pitched soccer at its best. The term ‘non-contact’ is used a little lightly, in the same way as applies to basketball. But what you get is a game that is entirely focused on speed, agility, and goals. Not only an amazing competitive game, Futsal doubles as the perfect development tool for skills and confidence building with kids.

 The FPL is working with schools, councils and county FAs to develop Futsal in the UK. The spirit of Futsal is pure football as it is meant to be. No aggressive behaviour and abusive language is tolerated at all. So it’s not just a great sport to play and learn, it teaches valuable skills in life that seem all too tough for our kids to learn these days.

Mark Potter, Head Coach with The FPL commented, ‘Some of the great skills in foreign players, past and present, come courtesy of an upbringing in Futsal. Pele, Ronaldo (Real), Christian Ronaldo, Figo, Henry, and many more grew up playing Futsal”. Potter adds, ‘We need to find better ways of developing home grown talent. We believe Futsal can and should be part of the next generation of football development in this country’.

 ‘You have to just play with it to believe it. I love it’, commented Paul Dolan of Kent FA, as he performed some pretty nice juggling and dribbling skills at a summer FPL train-the-trainer workshop.

The FPL will be happy to field any calls related to getting Futsal started in your school or area. While they perhaps don’t expect a call from Mr. Blair himself, you never know....                  

For general information on the Futsal Premier League and Academy, visit www.thefpl.com.
Contact: info@thefpl.com

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