Football

Football Variants Played Around The Globe

The beautiful game has spun off in a variety of different ways and they’re all pretty good.

Written by Richard Augustin

4 min readPublished on 27.03.2017 · 10:03 UTC

The Neymar Jr’s Five tournament is just the latest in a long line of games that were spun from football. Offering a different and more exciting spin to the beautiful game, the tourney is expected to test the mettle and skills of the world’s best footballers. It will also offer the winning teams from each nation an opportunity to challenge each other in a global tournament in Brazil.

But this new and inventive tourney is just one component that has been derived from football in recent times. Throughout history, there have been many games that have followed suit and they’ve become popular and competitive, standalone games in their own right...

Futsal

The game has roots in South America and it’s considered an important part of the region’s footballing culture. Futsal, which is derived from the Spanish name, ‘futbal sala’, which means room football, first originated in the inner cities of South America in the mid-1930s. An Argentinian coach named Juan Carlos Ceriani reportedly conjured the idea after finding a need to practice football indoors in order to avoid rain-soaked pitches. The idea worked and Futsal caught on like wildfire across the world. Mini leagues were formed in the early 50s and the first reported international competition – the Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol de Salon, took place in 1965. Today Futsal forms an integral part of football and it has helped a number of champions such as Pele and Ronaldinho to develop and fine tune their skills from an early age.

Beach Soccer

Playing football on the beach has been a favourite pastime of South Americans for many years. But in the early 90s, a move was made to actually turn it into a professional game. The first official pro tournament kicked off in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro and featured stars such as Eric Cantona, Romário, Júnior and Zico. A number of tournaments are held each year since, often taking place on a beach or on some form of sand. The game is undoubtedly fun but it requires its players a greater degree of improvisation due to the soft surface, which increases the level of skills, agility and shooting abilities of its players.

Street Football

Taking the elements of football and Futsal, street football was primarily considered informal versions of both games. But like Futsal, the game with its fast-paced nature started gaining prominence everywhere it was played. Organising a game was also relatively easy as all players needed was an empty space such as a car park lot to set up a fun kick-a-bout. This game, however, did spur the development of skills and it is now viewed as an important fabric of football, which is why the inaugural Street Football Championship was organised in 2006 in Berlin to uncover the best street footballers around.

Indoor Football

A novel way of taking football indoors
© kzenon / 123Rf

The game is known in some circles as arena football or minifootball and it is normally played in a walled indoor arena. The roots of the game have been traced back to North America where players moved football indoors during the cold winter months. The difference though is that the game is played on synthetic turf and the walls come into play during the game, allowing players to bounce the ball off them during play, which is why there are no throw-ins involved. The game remains a popular sport and pastime in the U.S., Canada and Mexico where regular professional leagues are held.

Swamp Football

Not all football-inspired games have gone on to appeal to the masses. Swamp Football or Swamp Soccer for instance can best be described as an acquired taste. Played in bogs or swamps, the game reportedly originated in Finland where it was said to improve endurance and build strength. Although the thought of having a kick-a-bout in a swamp sounds ludicrous to many, some have embraced the game. There are reportedly close to 300 swamp football teams around the world and there’s even a Swamp Soccer World Cup held annually each year!