The North West has always been a hub for footballing talent and that reputation is only getting better here in Greater Manchester and Salford, specifically, through one of the sport’s best proving grounds: futsal.
Ordsall Leisure Centre is the new home of the state-of-the-art futsal facility SCL Arena, set to revolutionise the sport in the North West of England. Futsal has gained fast momentum in recent years and our region was due a new home for the sport.
For those that aren’t familiar with the game, futsal is a type of football played indoors on a much smaller, hardcourt pitch. It is also played with a smaller, harder ball that is less bouncy to encourage control, improvisation and technique.
Think almost the ‘joga bonito’ days, FIFA Street or Volta in the new ones, only there’s no bouncing the ball off the walls in futsal. Here’s a taster from our very own Manchester Futsal Club.
Now, thanks to a £190k grant from the Premier League, the FA (Football Association) and the Government Football Foundation (GFF), as well as an additional £127k from Salford Council, Manchester is now home to one of the best places to play futsal in the country.
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The project also comes with the construction of new changing rooms and an educational space and a recent showcase event featured constant futsal action from academy players and a local primary school, with some truly fantastic talent on display.
Watching on was the CEO of the Manchester FA, Colin Bridgford who spoke of the importance of bringing the facility to Salford.
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“It’s a great opportunity for Salford to have the first dedicated futsal centre. It’s been much needed and it gives people an opportunity to learn about the game.”
A full look at the new arena. (Credit: Salford Leisure via X)
“Everyone plays football”, he continued; “Salford and Manchester are a hotbed for the sport but understanding the technique and the skill of futsal is so beneficial for young players.”
If you grew up in Salford or Greater Manchester playing the beautiful game, you’ll understand the struggles of finding a place to play.
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If the ‘no ball games’ signs don’t throw a spanner in the way of a kickabout, the weather more than likely will — and that’s just for football.
In our not-so-tropical climate, futsal simply has to be played indoors so the opportunities to play around here have previously been limited.
The SCL Arena at Orsdall Leisure will not only be a place for sport to thrive but will serve as an inclusive hub for promoting and developing talent within the community and beyond.
Earlier today, @CllrBentham opened the #Futsal SCL Arena at Ordsall Leisure Centre.
— Salford Community Leisure (SCL) (@SalfordLeisure) February 12, 2024
The opening event was a great success.
“You can’t play it if you don’t have the facilities as we all know. The investment from the FA and the local authority of Salford have put into this has been fantastic.”
“You do need that place where you can just walk into an arena like this where the pitch is purpose-built and the markings are really clear.”
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As you might expect, the game originated in South America in the 1930s and soon spread across the world. In countries like Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Portugal, young players are brought up on the sport with the world’s best footballing talent owing their skill to the small-sided game.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi began plying their trade on the futsal courts of Funchal and Rosario respectively. Maybe a future Ballon d’Or winner will forge their success in Ordsall Leisure Centre, you never know!
“It’s certainly a growing sport in England. If you look at it around Europe, particularly in Spain and Portugal, this is their day-to-day and that is where you get to see players working their way to the Premier League.”
“What futsal does is keep the flow of the game and makes players think quicker, it’s not always about what is happening at your feet but what’s happening upstairs – it’s a really adaptive game.”
“The skills and technique certainly come from futsal so if we can create more technically minded individuals in England then the future holds well and this is a great place to start.”
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If you’re a fan of a fast-paced game with action that can happen right up until the final whistle then futsal might be for you. But most importantly, it’s about getting up and active and now it’s possible to enjoy the game right on our doorstep.
Colin put it perfectly: “Irrespective of whatever game we play, whatever sport we play we do it for fun and what I’ve seen today is young people smiling, being active and having a great time!”
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Futsal Club (via Instagram)/Supplied
Sport
A reminder that class is permanent as Kevin De Bruyne inspires remarkable Man City comeback
Danny Jones
If there was ever any doubt that Kevin De Bruyne isn’t just Manchester City’s best player but arguably the best in the Premier League full stop, then his inspiring display at the Etihad Stadium in their emphatic 5-2 comeback against Crystal Palace should have well and truly quashed those.
Man City received a rather large early shock after finding themselves two goals down after just 21 minutes on Saturday, and it looked to be a topsy-turvy day that would once again confirm they are human in what has been their least dominant season for some time.
However, the reminder that we ultimately got is that is aging, injury problems and legs not moving quite as quickly as they used to may get the better of some, but class is permanent and if Blues could pick any player slightly past his prime to get them out of a tight spot, it will be Kevin De Bruyne 11 times out 10.
The Belgian midfielder not only got he team and the crowd back in the fight with a wonderful free-kick to make it 2-1, but he also managed to grab an assist for the third goal by Mateo Kovačić, having well and truly gotten their creative juices flowing. Speaking after the game, he made the objectives clear:
A leader, armband or not. Here’s what he has to say after the game.
Leading by example and then some.
In truth, he could have had at least one more goal were it not for a strike rattling the post, as well as essentially helped carve out the equaliser from Omar Marmoush – now on six league goals for the season – and regardless of his recent fitness issues, his quality shone through as always.
The 33-year-old described himself as being relatively “pain-free” for the last year, and putting smaller issues with hamstrings and a hernia aside, he is already starting to reflect on what has been a remarkable 10 years both for the club and him personally here in Manchester.
He went on to add that winning the FA Cup would be the “perfect ending” to his time in Manchester, but who knows? Maybe they could always tie on a second FIFA Club World Cup if he’s still around by then.
As for Pep Guardiola, you only need to see the way he looked at his number 17 when he walked off the pitch to see how much he means to the side and the fans, going on to add in the post-match that not only did he obviously “change the momentum” and the game but he knows he can always “rely on him.”
In fact, Pep summed up the legacy he’s going to leave behind in just one word…
“His legacy will be eternal.” 💙
Pep Guardiola on the race for Champions League football and Kevin de Bruyne's announcement 🤝
De Bruyne confirmed he will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season after a decade that has established him as one of the very best players in the world, and it’s more than fair to say that City won’t be the same without him – we’re pretty sure neither will the league.
It doesn’t matter who you support, he won’t be playing forever, so enjoy watching it while it lasts.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s magnificent Premier League comeback against Crystal Palace, led by the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, in full down below:
Featured Images — TNT Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
A release date for the Freddie Flintoff documentary has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The release date for the upcoming Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff documentary has been revealed, and it’s coming a lot sooner than many expected.
Simply entitled Flintoff, the documentary has been highly anticipated among UK audiences, especially given events in recent years.
Landing on Disney+ only, the film will follow his glittering cricket career as well as his return to the sport and the public after a life-altering car crash whilst filming Top Gear in 2022.
Much to our surprise, it’s all ready to go and is dropping next month.
— What’s On Disney Plus (@disneyplusnews) April 11, 2025
The Disney+ doc will run for approximately 90 minutes and follow on from his recent BBC series, Freddie Flintoff‘s Field of Dreams, which saw him start to open up about the difficult period and recovery publicly for the first time.
An eye-opening and candid show in its own right alongside the inspiring story of a teen cricket team being coached by the Lancashire and England legend, he won even more hearts when the second season launched last August.
It’s no surprise that there is a third instalment on its way next year.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time he’s been the subject of his own documentary, as the 47-year-old also released a BBC One called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, charting his personal struggles with the eating disorder and mental health even prior to the trauma of his crash.
You can see a snippet of the one-off show down below.
The Preston-born all-rounder has confessed he still suffers from PTSD following the incident, detailing struggles with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks of the crash, insisting that it “changed my life forever.”
All that being said, we’re glad to see that he’s continued to overcome numerous obstacles and remains an extremely funny and personable figure, as well as an eternal icon of British sport that so many admire.
As for Disney’s Flintoff film, the documentary will be available exclusively on the streaming platform in the UK and Ireland from Friday, April 25.
Harry Quick -
13th February 2024 
