(Updated: August 20th, 2009)
So this is a Canadian futsal website and yet we have a US section. Relax you nationalists, there are good reasons for it. Many of our best friends in futsal live in the US and work in leagues down south. They fight the same battles we do to get the game more recognition and 80% of the Canadian population lives within 100 KM of the border so showcasing our brothers and sisters down south makes perfect sense. There are some things to know about futsal in the US and here is a very interesting read from an Canadian perspective that wiill hopefully assist you when travelling to play in the US.
Super F: The Super F League, former members of the USFF, broke away as they were unhappy with how things were going with their old partners and decided they could do better. So the group from the American Mid-west banded together and have grown the operation quite steadily over the last 3 years and now boast 21 leagues from coast-to-coast. They are the only futsal organizing body that is supported by US Soccer and this is quite significant as one of their founding members, Peter Vermes, is a member of US Soccer's Executive Committee and the US Soccer Board of Directors; in other words he is a very influential figure in American soccer.
futsalcanada.ca has been to both the USFF and the Super F national championships in 2009 and it is our belief that although the USFF throws a very strong national tournament and has helped develop futsal in America for the last two decades, the Super F League seems to have the right cast, attitude, momentum, and most importantly, the right support (US Soccer's seal of approval) to take futsal to the next levels. The only two FIFA Certified Futsal Referees in the US are affiliated solely with Super F, the US National team coach Keith Tozer is a big supporter of the organization, and again, being the only sanctioned group from US Soccer is the ace of spades.
USFF: The USFF is the oldest and, currently, the largest futsal group in America. Their national championships are the largest in terms of total teams, and arguably the most competitive and organized futsal tournament around and is sponsored by Nike. They have been operating futsal for 24 years. The game was growing and things were going really well for the organization as a whole. It is interesting to note that the USFF chief, Alex Para, had actually trademarked the word 'Futsal' back in the 80's along with a slew of other trademarks relating to the game (imagine someone owning the word 'soccer') and apparently did not take lightly to those who used the word 'futsal' without permission or compensation. This did not sit well with quite a few key soccer decision-makers and eventually the United States Soccer Federation laid a few ultimatums to the USFF which all pointed to 'play ball or you're out.' Although the USFF agreed to some of the conditions, it was not enough as the United States Soccer Federation revoked the USFF's membership and they have been running their leagues on a solo mission ever since.
With futsal leagues operating in border states such as Washington State, Minnesota, New York State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio among others for both futsal groups, it would be wise for futsal teams and leagues in Canada to connect with those leagues to organize friendly matches and share tips that would mutually benefit one another. Links to every futsal league in the US can easily be found by clicking on the above links. Here are some stats regarding both national tournaments from 2009.
LOCATION: Super F: Kansas City USFF: Baltimore VENUES: Super F 4 USFF 1 SURFACES: USFF: Sport tiles Super F: Sport tiles and hardwood TOTAL TEAMS: USFF 120 SUPER F 112. YOUTH TEAMS: 96 teams each. The USFF 2009 tourney had 56 boys teams and 40 girls teams U19 and under, no U17 or U18 teams. Super F offered 96 teams in age groups from U9 to U18 boys, no U15 or U16 teams and offered Girls divisions for U10, U11, U13, U14 and high school
USFF Open Men's and Women's had 16 and 8 teams respectively. Super F had 6 mens teams and both groups expect 16 mens teams for next year.