Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is derived from the portuguese football and the spanish fútbol de salón (colloquially fútbol sala), which can be translated as "hall soccer" or "indoor soccer". During the sport's second world championships held in Madrid in 1985, the name fútbol Sala was used. Since then, all other names have been officially and internationally changed to futsal.
Futsal is played between two teams each with five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor fotball, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regular soccer ball. The rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.
