With school football fields being fenced off, saturday league pitches being protected, public parks being lost to housing developments and goal posts being removed to prevent the turf being churned up it seems like the Small-sided games are becoming increasingly important in the development of young players. Take a look at countries like Brazil and Portugal who are churning out top quality players who have been brought up with games like Futebol de Salão and Futsal.

After playing 11-a-side as a kid I'm finding myself more drawn to the small sided games. As a designer I am interested in developing footwear for these games, not just in design and technological advancements but to help build a philosophy and respect of the game.

How many of you take part in Small-sided games, in what form do you play (i.e. at the park, outdoor astroturf, indoor wood flooring, 3v3, Futsal etc.) and what do you demand from your footwear and clothing while playing? Any details such as where you need most protection, grip, support and feel etc. would be much appreciated. I hope you can offer any discussion about the game, attitudes toward the game and your thoughts on current and future footwear/accessories.

Cheers.

I (and basically everyone in my country) play on indoor wood flooring during winter (4-a-side with small icehockey-sized goals) or 5-a-side on astroturf with handball-sized goals. Indoor the issue is that the game gets rather physical with a lot of contact, lot of shooting from all positions. I see the shoes are wearing quite a lot, I prefer genuine leather futsal shoes or rugged 5-a-side ones. I don't use anything for my protection whatsoever and haven't had any real issues so far. It's good though if the jerseys and shorts are not prone to little pulls and if the fabric is heavier as it's very easy to get it damaged after a contact with wooden floor or tiling etc. On the other hand it gets pretty hot inside so I prefer wearing some 'technical' fabric like Nike Sphere Dry or Climacool or other brands that ensure the sweat can go away from the body. Most of people here play in plain cotton shirts though...

I take part on small 5-a-side futsal matches about 2 nights a week at different locations. They're all indoor wood flooring but one of the courts has a hollow base and hence I find that you have to 'push off' the ground more so its harder to play on. For all locations, it's the actual futsal goals (larger than the handball goals but smaller than outdoor goals). For protection, I use 'light' shinguards and ankle guards. I don't demand anything from my clothing, as long as it looks good , but from my shoes I look for grip most often as if you slip in indoor, it is usually costly.

Where are you from and what are you looking to design?

we usually had 5a-side competitions during high school, i usually wore turf shoes if it was on astroturf ground or indoor. outdoor the pitch would be really bad and i'd be forced to wear SG sometimes. i think here we play in any condition (as it doesnt snow ever) unless it would exceed 35degrees. most people who play indoor just come in their club jerseys and indoor shoes, which is nothing special as its a low cost to play soccer.