Anonymous wrote:

NPC is across the St. James facility in one of those warehouses. Probably best training in terms of quality but they want you to commit year round so that's a big flaw for soccer players.

My child played there a few years ago and didn't enjoy the experience. The skill level on what was supposed to be a competitive team was super uneven, but they consistently entered the team in tournaments against very highly skilled opponents, and the team got slaughtered 19-0 etc. I get that it is not all about winning, but it should also not be about an absolute blow out loss in 80 plus percent of the games. That's not fun.

Yes, most of the very best players in the area play futsal in the winter. If you enter a tournament, be prepared to get smashed unless your kid is on a team with some of the very best players in the area and he or she is also one....even if there coach is a National team coach or whatever. Coaching really doesn't matter much. There are some low level leagues like Metro Futsal League. It used to run out of George Mason.

Anonymous wrote:(FWIW, my kid is female)

Arlington will have a great futsal program this year. They have one of the national coaches on staff.

Intensity is merging with SYC to bring futsal to NOVA. Otherwise they have Maryland teams that usually practice in Columbia.

Alexandria runs a great futsal program.

There is also Bethesda.

NPC is across the St. James facility in one of those warehouses. Probably best training in terms of quality but they want you to commit year round so that's a big flaw for soccer players.

My child played there a few years ago and didn't enjoy the experience. The skill level on what was supposed to be a competitive team was super uneven, but they consistently entered the team in tournaments against very highly skilled opponents, and the team got slaughtered 19-0 etc. I get that it is not all about winning, but it should also not be about an absolute blow out loss in 80 plus percent of the games. That's not fun.

Another positive response re: Alexandria. My kid has played futsal with Alexandria for a few years and it's been a great experience.

Similar schedule to travel soccer: practice 2-3 times per week; usually one or sometimes 2 games per weekend; a few regional tournaments.

Futsal is a fun game - the pace of it is like basketball (although not the scoreline!) with your feet. Most kids who like soccer will like futsal. I think technical players especially shine in futsal, as one has to move in tight spaces and make quick decisions. And for this reason it's good training for any soccer player.

What age group? District Dynamo is local and won the national tournament this past year in the 2013 boys age group. Not sure if they have girls teams as well

Anonymous wrote:(FWIW, my kid is female)

What age group?

Alexandria is well run and more organized. Unless your kid is on the top team, then the 2nd team and so forth aren't strong at all in the competition but from the training perspective, sure.

Arlington started their own futsal program last year, heard it was very well run in terms of training and good quality coaching. They also just hired one of the coaches that run the national men futsal team I believe to run the program this year. This is only for U12 and younger I think, you can email them and ask.

St. James - nice facility, teams tend to be weaker on the younger age group. A bit unorganized at practices. They have North an South team, St. James location is south and teams tend to be weaker than the north side (which are mostly FCV players). I would say good for beginner.

NPC is across the St. James facility in one of those warehouses. Probably best training in terms of quality but they want you to commit year round so that's a big flaw for soccer players.

As someone mentioned, there are players that form teams to join winter futsal leagues and tournaments. Our club does indoor soccer during winter but we’ve done small tournaments where the teams we are playing are players from different major clubs in the area. Or players from one club team but coached by a parent.

PP is right there is Alexandria. There is DC Hyper. I have seen some other smaller groups on Instagram but I don’t know much about them. The other group mentioned is In10sity. They have a LaPlata location, a Columbia, MD location and they are going to have NOVA location and are partnering with SYC for that location starting this winter. My son plays for In10sity and has had a great experience. I’m less familiar about the futsal landscape for girls and how the teams vary there. BSC has a winter futsal league but it’s not high level.

There aren't a lot of futsal "clubs" or training teams around. The ones that come to mind are Alexandria (but SOOOO expensive), DC Hyper (The just care about winning), something in Waldorf (Insanity or Extreme or something like that. I've only heard of them), and PNC (Springfieldish I think). PNC is is year round or at least used to be.

As to overrated and injury prone....that is just stupid to say in my opinion. It might be overrated to them but it could be underrated to some. It requires different skill sets. I think the pros are...
- It's indoor so it's warm (however, Alexandria League has used outdoor fields even in the winter. We once had to shovel snow off of Fort Ward to play)
- It's FAST, so speed of play and transitioning is at it's peak.
- The 4 court players are always attacking and defending. No where to hide. Weaknesses are on display.
- Foot skills are critical.
- I think this is the most important...in futsal, you can make your own teams if you don't join one of the training groups I mentioned...So you can play with your friends. Roster are only 8-10 players so, for tournaments, you have Alexandria teams, DC Hyper, sometimes Richmond brings up a team or two, and then a bunch of local "All-star" teams that are a mix of top level kids from several clubs so it's really fun to watch the kids compete against each other. Teammates one day. Opponents the next. I like 3v3 stuff for similar reasons. PS: It's not like Alexandria and DC Hyper wins the tournaments either even though they train futsal 2-3 times a week in the winter.

Cons
- Expensive to join one of the groups above and get coached.
- If you aren't a "good" soccer player, you don't have many options. You won't make these top teams and you will get smashed if you enter an average team in any local tournaments.
- I don't really see any other cons.

My 16 year old has played futsal every summer and winter since he was around 7. We mostly just created teams with his friends and one of the dads coached. He loves it and still does. He prefers outdoors but it's a nice break for him. I think it's made him a better player but, if he trained just as much in regular soccer instead of futsal, I don't think there would be a drop off.

As to injuries...In all my years watching and coaching some. I remember one kid fall and hitting his head HARD on the wood floor that made my stomach turn. He turned out to be just fine, otherwise, I'm not sure what the one poster was talking about with injuries.

In summary...I ignore the people that praise futsal up and down and I ignore the people who hate on it. Play it if your kid likes it. It certainly won't hurt your player's soccer skills.

Good luck.

My son participates futsal in Alexandria Soccer and it seems well run. The link below has the champions from the last year and looks like heavy on a few local teams.

https://www.virginiafutsal.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2412641

I agree, Alexandria's futsal program is well run. My son has participated in it. Be advised that on the boys' side, for outside players (non-ASA travel soccer players), they are looking for kids who they may also want to recruit for their travel soccer teams in the future. I have no knowledge of whether the girl's side is the same. Obviously you don't have to agree to do anything you don't want to do, just information to be aware of.

My son participates futsal in Alexandria Soccer and it seems well run. The link below has the champions from the last year and looks like heavy on a few local teams.

https://www.virginiafutsal.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2412641

Anonymous wrote:What are the best futsal clubs in the area? We are club agnostic and just trying to understand the timing of try outs and the seasons (from my looking around, it looks like it is a "winter" sport. What kind of players do well in Futsal?

Avoid it. Overrated and injury prone sport.

(FWIW, my kid is female)

What are the best futsal clubs in the area? We are club agnostic and just trying to understand the timing of try outs and the seasons (from my looking around, it looks like it is a "winter" sport. What kind of players do well in Futsal?