I first got into these sessions through my son, James, as he started coming here first.
I used to play football, at 11-a-side, and I just thought that I’d really like to give that a go again.
I’d had a gap from football but when I saw the women play as well and found out about these sessions at the beginning of last year, Stuart [Smith] from the Northamptonshire CFA said: ‘Yes, come along, it’s for everybody’.
James has now gone off to America now to study but I’ve just carried on. I hadn’t played Futsal before I started coming to Kettering and I didn’t know so much about it, I have to say.
It was through James playing that I found out about it and with it being five-a-side and everything I think it’s a great game - it’s better than 11-a-side, really!
You get more touches of the ball and it encourages really good team play and it’s helped me to keep up my fitness levels.
I’ve always enjoyed sport ever since I was a youngster and I just wish that there were more sports opportunities when I was at school because I would have probably done more.
I’ve always enjoyed football - it is a wonderful game, it’s not complicated and it’s great to be back playing some form of it again.
When James moved abroad, I did question very slightly whether I should keep coming to these sessions because I was used to coming here with him.
But it’s such a lovely bunch of people here that I’ve also become used to that, so that’s what kept me coming and I feel like I’ve really improved during these sessions.
I quickly became hooked once I started coming - basically it was after just one session where I thought I need to keep doing this, this is really fun.
Before I started, I’d wanted to get back into football for a little while and once I realised that I could do this, I gave it a go and I’ve loved it. I hope Futsal is something that keeps spreading across England. It is getting bigger, I think, and Kettering does seem to be a good area for it.
It’s perhaps not that well known in some places and sometimes I have to explain what it is, but I definitely recommend that people give it a try.
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The Futsal sessions at Arena Sport in Kettering take place every Monday and Thursday for anyone aged 16+ and are part of the FA’s wider Mars Just Play initiative, which provides a location and kit for people who just want to turn up and have a game of football without committing long-term.
If you like the sound of Futsal, find out more in our Futsal section of the website here.
