Where futsal meets football
Who we are, what we believe in, and where the game itself began.
A grassroots futsal academy in Essex
Gol Futsal is a leading grassroots futsal academy based in Essex, providing high-quality coaching and competitive playing opportunities for players from U6 through to adult.
Gol started in 2016 as a single weekly futsal session for the mini-soccer team Kev Stanbridge was coaching. It worked so well that most of that team went on to sign for professional clubs, and as word spread, other players asked to join. Read Kev’s story.
At Gol, we believe that player development comes before trophies. Our focus is on helping young players improve technically, think creatively, make better decisions and develop the confidence to express themselves both on and off the pitch.
We now run 20 sessions a week at schools across Havering — see times and venues. We also help run the Essex Youth Futsal League, giving young players regular competitive futsal, and each year we take groups on tour, most recently to the Junior Futsal Cup in Spain. Together with our representative squads, that gives players a genuine pathway to progress and reach their potential.
We pride ourselves on being a family-oriented club where commitment, hard work and respect are valued, and where players who dedicate themselves to learning are given opportunities to represent the club and compete.
Whether a player is taking their first steps in futsal or looking to challenge themselves at a higher level, Gol Futsal provides a supportive, enjoyable and ambitious environment in which to thrive.
Where our players go
Gol Futsal has helped numerous players progress into professional football academies, with several signing professional contracts and others earning regional and international futsal recognition, including selection for England Youth Futsal squads.
Professional academy players
England Youth Futsal representatives
A pathway into National Futsal League senior competition
Born in Montevideo, built for small spaces
Futsal was created in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay, by teacher Juan Carlos Ceriani, who needed a version of football that could be played indoors on basketball courts when the weather kept players off the pitch. He borrowed ideas from football, basketball, water polo and handball to create a fast, five-a-side game played with a smaller, low-bounce ball.
The name itself comes from the Spanish/Portuguese fútbol/futebol de salão — “indoor football.” Since then it has spread worldwide as the game most professional academies use to build technique, close control and quick decision-making in young players. Some of the world’s greatest players grew up on it: Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho both played futsal as children in South America.
Why it matters for young players
Smaller pitches and fewer players mean every child is constantly involved — not waiting on the wing for a pass that never comes. That’s the whole philosophy behind Gol Futsal: more repetitions, more touches, more learning, every single session.
See the numbers behind itFour things every session is built on
Technique first
Small-sided drills built around close control, quick feet and comfort on both sides of the ball.
Game understanding
Futsal’s tight spaces teach players to read the game and make faster decisions on the ball.
Confidence
High expectations, delivered with encouragement — so every player believes in what they can do.
Enjoyment
Football should be fun first. Players who enjoy their sessions are the ones who keep coming back and keep improving.
About Coach Kev
Kev founded Gol Futsal in 2016 and has been coaching sessions ever since. In that time he’s worked with hundreds of players across every age group, from first-touch beginners in the U6–U7 group through to adults playing competitive futsal.
Watching a player’s technique come on is always satisfying — but what Kev values most is watching his young members grow as people: the shy ones who find their voice, the ones who learn to lose graciously and win humbly, and the friendships that get built along the way.
Kev is joined on the court by Glenn Ferris, Tom Butler, Tom Cruse and Luciano.
Meet the coaching team