09/07/2005: Massachusetts Futsal Association issues warning to public

The Massachusetts Futsal Association (MFA) announces today that it has been brought to our attention that some indoor programs formed within the state of Massachusetts are NOT officially sanctioned "Futsal" leagues by the United States Futsal Federation, (USFF). 

The USFF is the sole governing body and sanctioning authority for ALL legitimate Futsal league development and competitions within the United States.  For a program to legitimately call itself a Futsal League it must, in fact, have obtained sanctioning from the USFF in order to do so. 

We have recently collected data indicating several miss representations and inferences that are being made on websites and by program or indoor sporting facility operators that illegally represent themselves as running "Futsal" leagues.  These known instances have been reviewed at the state level and have been referred directly to the USFF, its president, its legal committee and its outside legal counsel to determine what appropriate actions shall be taken next in response to these infractions.

The only USFF sanctioned programs within the state of Massachusetts as of this date comprise:

Catholic Youth Futsal League
Essex County Futsal League
Greater Fall River Futsal League
New England Futsal Academy
Norfolk County Futsal League

Any other program advertising itself as a Futsal  league / program, or even inferring itself as a form of Futsal is doing so in direct violation of federal law.  FUTSAL® (five-a-side soccer), is a registered trademark of the United States Futsal Federation, and is protected by Federal Law.

What the general public needs to be made aware of is that fully sanctioned Futsal leagues are sufficiently covered by medical and general liability insurance which is provided for a sanctioned league / program through its membership with the USFF.  Non-sanctioned, or illegal imitation leagues may or may not be fully insured, or worse, not insured at all.

Above and beyond the legal and insurance ramifications, Futsal is a sport that has been played and practiced since the 1930's.  The USFF leagues and programs subscribe to authentic training regiments, rules of the game, and competitions. USFF league operators are carefully screened at  the state, regional and national level.  This serves to ensure for the proper development of the player athletes and assists in the continuation of the proper development of Futsal in the United States as an unadulterated sport.

Furthermore, for those players with great ambitions and talent, a player must be affiliated with a USFF sanctioned Futsal league in order to compete at the annual USFF - Massachusetts State Cup Challenge, as well as at the annual USFF Regional Championships and the USFF National Championships. The United States Futsal Federation maintains a youth player membership in excess of 40,000 players.  This number tells the whole story. 

The Massachusetts Futsal Association is the local representative of the United States Futsal Federation (USFF), which under the banner of United States Soccer, is the national governing body for Futsal in the United States.

Futsal is the only international form of indoor soccer approved by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Please feel free to contact the MFA with any questions or concerns you may have regarding suspicious or non-sanctioned leagues that may be actively soliciting your interest or illegally representing themselves as an officially sanctioned league.

Click here to contact the President of MFA

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