The Futsal Arena at the Godavari Alumni Association (GAA) in Thamel had introduced Futsal, also called “hall football” or “indoor football,” for the first time in Nepal in 2011.[break]
The Futsal Arena is a venture by Kaizen Sports Solutions that also supplies sports infrastructure like artificial turfs for basketball, tennis, volleyball, futsal, golf, and badminton.
Nawang Nima Lama and Tsering Norbu Lama, proprietors of the Futsal Arena, initiated the concept of Futsal last year.
“As many people don’t know about Futsal, we wanted to make them aware of the concept,” says Nawang, adding, “We’re planning to open branches in various parts of the Kathmandu Valley in the near future.”
Stating that the indoor game Futsal is gradually gaining popularity in the Valley, Nawang informs that the court is packed during early mornings and late evenings.
“Inter-college tournaments, open tournaments, and inter-departmental tournaments of corporate houses are being organized here every month,” he adds.
Tsering mentions that he wanted to introduce the concept of Futsal in Nepal while he was studying in Bangkok.
“Futsal was a popular game in Bangkok and I was inspired to start it off in our country, too,” he says. He adds that people in other countries take to Fustal before learning football.
The Futsal Arena is also providing Futsal classes to students of various schools, including Shuvatara School, British School, and Lincoln School, among others.
As Futsal is on the verge of becoming the next big recreational activity in Kathmandu, the ANTA Grassroots Recreational Center at Mandikatar is also coming up with another Futsal court within a month.
“Though we’re yet to open officially, people, especially young ones, are coming to play Futsal here everyday,” says Nawang Tsering Sherpa, proprietor of ANTA Grassroots Recreational Center. He informed that 150-200 people play Futsal everyday at Mandikatar.
The court at the Futsal Arena, surfaced with synthetic turf, is 25 by 15 meters while a standard football pitch measures 40-50 by 90-120 meters. A team in a football game consists of 11 players while Futsal is played with maximum number of five, including the goalkeeper.
Also the play time in Fulsal is 40 minutes whereas in football it is 90 minutes. Another interesting deviation from soccer/football is that plain boots without studs on the soles are used by players in a game of Futsal to avoid injury during contact.
“Futsal is comparatively more fun because players get to be in contact of the ball more than in football games,” says Tsering, adding, “As the size of the ball used in Futsal is smaller and heavier, it bounces 30 percent less than a ball used in football.”
You can enjoy Futsal at Godavari Alumni Association (GAA) Hall’s Futsal Arena in Thamel, Kathmandu. Contact them at 01-4433515. You can also contact ANTA Grassroots Recreational Center at Mandikatar at 01-4375276.
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