For the first time ever, futsal will be included as a sport in the Saskatchewan Winter Games.

Four boys from Moose Jaw were selected to compete on the South West District Team including Cohen McDonald, Jamal Ahadi, Samuel Mendes, and Patrick Pryadko. Players from Swift Current include Griffin Striker, Charlie Weinbender, Ashton Munro, and Jed Delfin. Rowan Reimer hails from Wymark. Coaching the team are Jason Jones from Moose Jaw and Chad Striker from Swift Current.

The age group has been expanded to Under 16, as the games were pushed back a year due to COVID.

Jones explained how the game of futsal is played.

"Futsal is a five versus five game played on a hard surface, either a court or a hardwood floor. It's four players out and one goalkeeper. It's the only official game recognized by FIFA, for what we call indoor soccer. It's a little bit different than indoor soccer in that instead of throw-ins, we do kick-ins, instead goal kicks we do goal clearances, which would allow the goalkeeper to roll the ball or throw the ball to their team. It's a very fast-paced game, very technically driven and it makes the players really make a lot of quick decisions under pressure of an opponent."

The ball used for futsal is a heavier, low-bounce ball that is closer to a size 4 compared to the size 5 used for regular outdoor soccer.

Jones says futsal has been played in Moose Jaw since about 2013, however there was a futsal league in the city many years ago. The team currently trains at the Alliance Church on Mondays and Tuesdays with games played on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

"We just went down to Minot, North Dakota a couple of weeks ago for a pre-competition event," continued Jones. "We went to the finals there and ended up losing in the final 3-2. That was a really good weekend for the boys to come together. We're a very organized team. We know what we're doing defensively and offensively. On set pieces, we have everything organized. The boys know what they're doing and it was a really good learning experience for them. Saskatoon's always had a very good futsal program so they're going be very tough as well as Regina."

Futsal is starting to catch on in North America but it's been played around the world for years. Jones said the benefit of playing futsal is that you don't need a lot of players to get a game going compared to regular soccer. He noted the sport provides a great opportunity for players to get a lot of touches on the ball and to fine-tune their skills.

"Every player is involved in a five versus five game. Every time the ball moves, every player has to be able to move accordingly to get into a better position, change their angle, change their body position so they can be ready to receive a ball. You'll see a lot of very quick combinations. Either a give-and-go combination or a three-player passing combination. Where as in soccer, you have a little bit more time and space because of the field size. Not to say that those things don't happen as well in that game, it's just that in futsal you're going to see it more and more because of the space and the speed of the game."

The Saskatchewan Winter Games run February 19 to the 25 in Regina. Futsal will be played at the REAL - SportBarn February 22 - 25.

"We're looking forward to it. It's been a long road but a good road for us," concluded Jones. "I think that extra year has really helped us in terms of development and organization and just even the boys growing. Physically, they're a little bit bigger now and faster. It's going to be a real interesting event and we're looking forward to it."