France/FFF: "A lack of infrastructure is holding back the development of futsal" (Raphaël Reynaud)

"In terms of structure, we have progress to make, particularly in terms of infrastructure. There's a real dynamic and a real desire among young people to play futsal, but we're not in a position to offer enough slots. And yet this is one of the key factors in driving the sport forward," said Raphaël Reynaud, coach of the French men's team and manager of the national futsal teams, on 20/11/2024.

Reynaud spoke alongside Sébastien Pessoa, head of the "deployment of practices" project at the Fédération Française de Football, during a conference entitled "After a successful World Cup, what role does futsal play in local communities?" as part of the Salon des Sports et Parasports held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (Paris 15^th arrondissement) from 19 to 21/11/2024 to coincide with the Salon des maires et des collectivités locales.

"Futsal is the number one sport at UNSS (National Union of School Sport) level, and the fact that it is a tool for developing footballers is now a given. We will have 50,000 members by the end of the season, representing a steady increase of 15-16% every…