Football with a twist is now on offer for nine to 13 year olds across Brighton and Hove.

Five-a-side indoor football courses are being taught by fully certified Football Association (FA) instructors Mark Shelton and David Fuller.

This speciality was recently introduced by Mr Shelton and Mr Fuller to enrich the syllabus at the Brighton-based football company, 5Ways Soccer.

Futsal, as it is commonly referred to, is very popular in Europe and South America and has proven to be the stepping stone for football stars like Pele, Luis Figo, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and Kaka.

Futsal is played on a flat playing surface and the modified ball (encased in a layer of foam) encourages players to keep the ball on the floor, use short quick passes and develop good close control and inventive foot-skills.

According to Mr Shelton: “It is widely regarded as the best form of the game for encouraging excellent technical development in young players and matches are known for being high scoring, fast-paced and full of tricks and showmanship.

“I would encourage children to take part in Futsal, as ultimately it is fun. Kids can develop far better levels of skill in a short amount of time. They will be actively involved on a continuous level, (a lot more to those involved in the outside/11 a-side format) and their levels of concentration will remain focused, meaning they will not lose interest in something that keeps them fit and healthy."

The 5Ways Futsal sessions are held at Brighton University’s newly developed Sports Centre facility on Wednesday nights regardless of the weather in order to introduce this form of the game to local young players of all abilities.

The coaches at 5Ways Futsal are also working with the special needs charity Spiral to run two Futsal sessions a month at a Spiral facility.

For more information visit the 5Ways Soccer website.