The 2018 International Futsal Forum was held in Jining city of Shandong province on July 23.

CFA Executive Committee Member and Futsal and Beach Soccer Commission Director Zhao Shaoming, CFA Social Football Department Director Li Jiuquan, CFA Social Football Department Senior Supervisor and Futsal and Beach Soccer Training Director Wen Lirong, CFA Futsal Development and Research Center Deputy Director Xia Qing, China National Futsal Team Head Coach Sergio Gargelli, other guests and the representatives of media attended the forum.

The forum, themed "The Rise and Outlook of Chinese Futsal in the New Era", was building on high-end development and pragmatism and focused on the hottest and most concerned topic in futsal development. The attendees discussed the new trends of international futsal development and the new guiding principles to advance China's futsal.

CFA Executive Committee Member and Futsal and Beach Soccer Commission Director Zhao Shaoming welcomed the attending guests on behalf of the CFA at the forum.

Zhao pointed out that the CFSL had made great headway over the past two years and China has embarked on a right path to develop its futsal. It is hoped that more domestic football fans can learn, love and practice the sport by enjoying the CFSL.

CFA Social Football Department Director Li Jiuquan gave a speech on the current situation and future development trend of Chinese futsal.

Li's speech covered six topics: structure of the CFA Social Football Department, grassroots football, the developments of futsal competition, the developments of the national futsal team, and futsal referee and futsal coach cultivation. He also envisioned the next season of the CFSL and the outlook of Chinese futsal.

Li said that the club licensing of the next season of the CFSL and the CFA Futsal League One will be improved. China's futsal player transfer and registration will be more standardized. Management documents of the league, such as marketing protocols, and other relative standards will satisfy higher demands. A fair and well-ordered futsal competing environment will be shaped.

After the speech, Sergio Gargelli, CFA Futsal Development and Research Center Deputy Director Xia Qing, Hubei University Sport School Dean Zeng Ji and international level futsal referee An Ran had a discuss over "The Futsal-generated Driving Force for Chinese Football Development" at the invitation of the organizer.

Gargelli pointed out that futsal players can receive benefits from practicing their responsiveness, creativity and power of thinking because futsal features faster switch between attack and defense and more frequent physical contact. These qualities can apply to futsal and 11-man football as well, and boost the cultivation of young football players.

Xia Qing said that the biggest challenge faced by China's futsal is how to make futsal more available among youths. While mapping out strategies for that, we need to shape a philosophy to properly cultivate young futsal talent.

As an international level futsal referee and the editor-in-chief of the Football Weekly, An Ran believed it is important to publicize and promote futsal in China that all the matches of the 2017-18 CFSL season had been live streamed and some of them had been aired in TV. And it is one of the priorities for football media practitioners to produce in-depth futsal report.

At the afternoon session, head coach of Chinese Futsal Women's National Team Hu Jie and assistant coach Li Xin gave two keynote speeches titled "A Study on Futsal History" and "A Study on Futsal Tactics" respectively.

As two of the honorable Chinese futsal national team members who helped the team qualified the FIFA Futsal World Cup, they shared their excitement when snatching up the qualification win along with other three team members.

Hu said that most of his teammates had retired from the sport though, they still contribute to the developments of China's futsal in different work posts. He hopes their efforts can bring a brighter future for China's futsal.

China Futsal U-20 National Team Assistant Coach Wang Wei and CFA Futsal Development and Research Center Deputy Director Xia Qing concluded the forum with two speeches titled "A Study on Physical Stamina in Practicing Futsal" and "Futsal --- the New Driving Force to Chinese Football Development" respectively.

After the forum the attendees pointed out that futsal in China is experiencing a golden era of development. The practitioners of the sport need to grasp the strategic opportunities and push for a high speed and quality development for the CFSL while it is still in inceptive stage. They should see that the sport's development has a clear purpose, sticks to its guiding principles, progresses ceaselessly and is more culturally sophisticated.

(edit：李鑫)