Some days ago in Amsterdam one of the most important conferences for the football development at the international level was organized, The International Football Development. European Minifootball Federation was represented by Razvan Burleanu, the president of the continental minifootball body.
Razvan Burleanu was invited to speak about the minifootball development in Europe, minifootball characteristics, but also about the minifootball benefits. In only 6 months, European Minifootball Federation counts 24 member countries and more than 600.000 players, and this number increases every month. This level of participation transforms minifootball into one of the largest sports in Europe.
”The history of minifootball started around 1960 in various western and eastern European countries. Minifootball has been part of our football history in Europe for generations. Many of us or our grandparents played this wonderful game in the streets. Now the streets are to busy, with a lot of cars and is too dangerous to play.”, said Razvan Burleanu.
Minifootball has some essential characteristics which help its development such as: more touches of the ball, more passes, more goal-scoring opportunities and more defensive opportunities, involvement of all the players because the number of substitutions is unlimited, develop decision-making together with many life skills, develop a pro-active attitude, unpredictable situations are frequently experienced and the list can continue with the emphasis which is on player development rather than winning or losing.
According to the last research done by prof. Peter Krustrup from University of Exeter minifootball has been proven to be an effective health-promoting activity for untrained men aged, including overweight players with limited football experience and skills. Minifootball plays a key role in improving the physical and psychological wellbeing of individuals, and therefore our community.
Recent studies reveal that the heart rate response in small-sided games, in recreational football, is roughly similar to that in elite football training with periods of near-maximal values. Minifootball has a high aerobic component with mean heart rates of 80–85% of maximum heart rate, which is similar to values observed for elite football players. It has furthermore been shown that the activity profile during small-sided games is highly intermittent, with multiple turns, jumps and sprints which provide a high impact on muscles and bones.
Raphael Morgulis (Information Manager, FIFA), Gerard Houllier (Global Sport Director Red Bull Soccer, former Liverpool FC, Aston Villa FC Manager and Technical Director of the France Football Federation), Todd Beane (Director, Johan Cruyff Football), Robin Russell (CEO, Sports Path International) or Nico Romeijn (Coach, KNVB Academy Grassroots) spoke too about football development at the international level and presented new facts and figures.