Get to Know the Game

All age groups play a 44-Minute Match (broken into two 22-minute halves.)

There is a 3-minute break period for half time.

These Matches will operate on a running clock except for extreme injuries/extreme situations when the clock will stop.

Additionally, every team has the right to ask for one timeout per half. The timeout will last 1 minute.

All divisions play with Senior Match Balls (Size 4).

Do not let the size number of the balls fool you! Size 4 futsal balls are smaller than size 4 soccer balls and are made of different material.

Futsal balls are dense and designed to have a low-bounce.

A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than five players (a goalkeeper and four outfield players) and ten substitutes.

There is no restriction on the number of substitutions that may be made during a match.

Substitutions may be made at any time, whether the ball is in play or not, but only in the specially demarcated substitution zones.

Substitutions take place on the fly, just like hockey.

– GOAL CLEARANCES –

When the ball has been last touched by the attacking team and gone over the opponent’s end line, the resulting restart is a goal clearance. Goalkeepers must release the ball from their hands (no kicks of any kind). Goalkeepers have four seconds to release the ball or an indirect free kick on the edge of the goal clearance area will be awarded to the opposing team.
Within the goal clearance rules, attackers do not need to be outside the area. So, the goalkeeper can lay the ball down inside the area for a teammate to receive. Goalkeepers can throw the ball from their area to anywhere on the pitch.
Goalkeepers can not, however, score directly in the opponent’s goal on a throw. That would result in a goal clearance for the opposing team.

– IN FLOW OF PLAY (IN THEIR OWN HALF) –

Goalkeepers are free to move anywhere on the pitch but can only use their hands on the ball inside their own penalty area. When the ball is in the goalkeeper’s possession, either in their hands or at their feet, they have four seconds in which to play it to a teammate. Otherwise, it is an indirect free kick at the spot at which time has expired.
Goalkeepers may not touch the ball again if it has been deliberately played to them by a teammate without an opponent touching the ball. Otherwise, an indirect free kick will result for the infraction.
If a goalkeeper has made a save (or picked up the ball with their hands legally in the flow of play), then the goalkeeper can punt or drop-kick the ball from their area – and even score directly in the opposing goal on the punt or drop-kick.

– IN FLOW OF PLAY (IN OPPONENT’S HALF) –

The only rule that applies to goalkeepers when standing in their opponent’s half is that they can not use their hands. Otherwise, the goalkeeper can maintain possession for as many seconds as they want, as well as receive multiple passes from their teammates. The goalkeeper is considered a field player.

Kick-offs are considered direct free kicks. The ball can go in any direction to be put into play. Goals can be scored directly.

Corner Kicks are considered direct free kicks. The ball can go in any direction to be put into play. Goals can be scored directly.

The kick-in is a method of restarting play after the ball has left the sideline. A kick-in is awarded to the opposing team if a player touches the ball last, when the ball has completely crossed the touch line or hits the ceiling. A kick-in is considered an indirect free kick and a goal may not be scored directly from a kick-in.
The players of the defending team must be at least five yards from the place where the kick-in is taken (repeated disobedience can result in a yellow card discipline by the referee). The moment the ball is kicked, the kicker must have part of one foot on the touch line, the ball must be completely stopped, and the ball must be on the touch line or outside the playing surface at a distance not exceeding one yard from that point.
The kicker must also take the kick-in within four seconds of receiving the ball. The result of any of these infractions is a kick-in for the opposing team.

There is no offside in futsal.

A count is kept of fouls penalized with a direct free-kick or penalty kick in each time period, regardless of whether advantage has been played or not. These offenses are called “accumulated fouls”.
If a team commits a sixth accumulated foul in the same period, the opposing side may take the subsequent free-kick awarded to them without a wall, either from the second penalty mark, which is positioned four yards behind the first, or from a position even closer to the penalty area if the foul was committed between the goal line and the second penalty mark.
Basically, a team can commit five fouls per half without any further special situation. On the sixth foul and every foul after that you concede, it is a penalty kick from 10 yards. This cuts out “tactical fouls” or at least makes them punishable.