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Report: Barcelona, NBA owners among investors in 16-team Pro Futsal League

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Soccer’s continued rise in America took a different path last week when Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced his investment in the Pro Futsal League (PFL).

That’s not the only interesting part, though.

On Monday, the Dallas Morning News revealed that PFL will consist of 16 franchises and will additionally feature various NBA owners and many prestigious world soccer clubs. Along with Dallas, where the league was founded by Cuban, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle/Vancouver, Boston, Chicago and Miami have all been named franchises.

Joining Cuban will be NBA owners Mikhail Prokhorov (Brooklyn Nets) and the Buss family (Los Angeles Lakers), while La Liga sides FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well as Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Brazilian club Corinthians have also committed to either full or partial franchise stakes in PFL.

According to the report, New York will feature two teams, one owned by Prokhorov and the other operated by Barcelona.

Despite the league not officially beginning play until 2017, the Pro Futsal League is reportedly being planned to serve as the world’s biggest futsal market, with the biggest names in the game being brought to the United States and receiving the sport’s biggest salaries.

Futsal is a modified version of soccer, and is played on an indoor surface with five players on each team.

What do you think of Cuban’s idea? Can futsal take off in the U.S.? Which city are you most excited about hosting a PFL franchise?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Promoting Futsal would be great. Futsal provides development of skills translateable to soccer while indoor just develops bad habits with its side boards, and shooting gallery atmosphere. While Futsal does indeed emphasize the shot, the limitations on physical play encourage a more skillful developmental environment.

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  2. Futsal is the next step in the continued progression of the USMNT. Although it may take a generation or 2, if we can get youth leagues and academies to shift to futsal as supplementary training or off-season work, it could potentially help mold the “American-Messi” of the future that everyone’s been waiting for. The fast play in tight spaces is what we’ve been missing. Ball control and creativity to open up space is something we dearly need…….

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    • Just this year a couple of facilities have opened up in our area for off-season play that have artificial turf fields, with futsal dimensions, so you get the best of both worlds. The drawback with futsal is that to some extent it requires different foot skills than you use in soccer.

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  3. this is an interesting idea. if they can make it work, cool, go for it. certainly a way for these NBA owners to fill up the arenas on off days.

    would be much better to see Cuban as an MLS owner.

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  4. I’m totally in favor of the PFL concept. It’s not a direct competitor of MLS, so there are no either/or issues. It’s like comparing tennis to ping pong. But, with high profile financially sound owners like Cuban and Barca, it will not be a typical under funded startup endeavor. PFL will have the marketing expertise of some pretty knowledgeable sports entrepreneurs that will generate buzz. IMO, anything that might draw new fans for athletes kicking balls, it’s good for soccer overall. And PFL might create job opportunities for those technically gifted soccer players who are deemed to be too small for MLS. I’ve watched a few South American matches online and found it entertaining.

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  5. I’m kind of seeing this as NBA owners trying to get in on the action like the NFL owners, and just trying to get another tenant into their arenas. I wonder when they are going to wedge the season in.

    As someone who grew up playing indoor (not futsal), I would also rather see the MISL grow than a futsal league. Yeah it doesn’t line up directly with the rest of the world, but I think it’s more entertaining.

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    • It does make perfect sense for NBA owners to be the ones to get this going. They already have the arenas and infrastructure, which would be a huge hurdle if trying to to build from the ground up and doesn’t directly align with larger field/outdoor NFL/MLS stadiums. I hope it does take off though, it’s fun to watch. Especially if they do put big money into it. Bringing in Barca and European backers lends it a lot of credibility and and marketing opportunities overseas. They likely already have good working relationships because of Euro basketball too.

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