Footbal/Futsal at IMGA Master Games

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players. It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world’s most popular sport.

The world’s oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C.W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C.W. Alcock. England is also home to the world’s first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor. The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England.

Futsal is a ball sport played on a hard court, smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football.

Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller, harder, low-bounce ball. The surface, ball and rules together favour ball control and passing in small spaces. The game’s emphasis is on improvisation, creativity and technique.
 

Discover Football at Cleveland 2024

 

Age categories

Football & Futsal

Men: 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+
Women: 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+

The age category you will compete in for Football will be determined as at 31 December of the year of the event. For team sports, the category you compete in is based on the age of the youngest team member.For example, if your youngest team member is 39 during Games time but has turned 40 by 31 December, you would compete in the 40+ age category.
 

Football Grade definitions

A Grade (Premier) – Men and Women: 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+
Teams that have three or more senior players with international, national or state representative open experience. These players must be identified on the team registration sheet. Teams without international, national and state representatives are still encouraged to enter into the Premier Grade, but should expect games of a very competitive nature.

B Grade (Competitive) – Men and Women: 30+, 40+, 50+
Open to everyone, including teams/individuals that participate or have participated, at a local competition level.

Open Grade – Men and Women: 55+, 60+
 

Check Football results previous events

 


The IMGA doesn’t allow building new venues and encourages the host cities to use existing facilities to keep the costs lower. Therefore, the following information is subject to changes depending on the venues available.
 

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