In Australia, Futsal is conducted under the auspices of the National Futsal Commission of Football Federation Australia and State/Territory based futsal associations. Australia has played in all five FIFA Futsal World Cups.
The first game of competitive Indoor Soccer (not Futsal) in Australia was played at the YMCA Sporting Complex in Epping, New South Wales in August/September 1970. It was introduced by Edwin (Eddie) Palmer, a new immigrant, who had recently arrived from East Africa. Karl Plexis was Administrator of the Centre at that time.
The rules were simple. The four walls of the arena were the boundary lines, (used by players to bounce the ball off in getting past opponents). The ball had to stay below head height. No dangerous play. 15-minute halves. No substitutes. Outdoor football (soccer) balls were used initially but the Nassau fluro green felt soccer ball, easy to see against white or light coloured gym walls, was introduced in later years.
The following year, 1971, Jack Bowder, and a few parents of the players taking part in the inaugural competition, took a team to Revesby YMCA to demonstrate the game. The growth of the game and the introduction of Futsal is described by Dawn Gilligan in her submission, The truth as I know it.
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