England Futsal Coaching Conference 2026
Thursday 9th April 2026
Sir David Wallace Building, Loughborough University
09:00 - 13:30
What to Expect…
Masterclasses. Expertise. Networking.
Join a nationwide coaching community at Loughborough University this April, as England Futsal brings together a collection of the industry’s best football and futsal coaches to deliver both on and off-court sessions covering the most relevant topics and trends in futsal and coaching practice.
ALSO INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET PRICE:
Entry to Lionesses vs Slovakia Game 1 at 2pm.
Buffet Lunch and Refreshments.
Access to conference materials after the event.
Gain 5 hours of FA Accredited CPD!!!
Only 100 spaces available!!!
OUR EXPERT GUEST SPEAKERS
Professor Leanne Norman
Loughborough University - Professor of Women in Sport and Director of the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub
Beyond Representation: Redesigning Coaching Environments for Women to Thrive
This keynote will challenge attendees to look beyond representation and examine the system conditions that shape who progresses, who stays, and who thrives in coaching. Drawing on national research across sport, the talk will explore how culture, informal networks, recruitment practices, and everyday norms influence women’s coaching careers. The session will combine evidence, practical examples, and reflective prompts, encouraging honest discussion about futsal’s current environment and future direction. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of where inequities sit within coaching systems and practical starting points for designing more inclusive, high performing environments.-
Professor Leanne Norman is Professor of Women in Sport and Director of the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub at Loughborough University. An internationally recognised expert in gender equity in coaching and sport leadership, her research examines the organisational cultures and system conditions that shape who progresses, who stays, and who thrives in coaching. Leanne works closely with governing bodies and high performance systems to translate insight into practical action, supporting more inclusive coach development pathways. Her work challenges sport to rethink how environments are designed so that women coaches can succeed and lead at every level.
David Tapia-Owens
Head of Analysis and Scouting at Málaga Ciudad Redonda FS
Pivot Play in Elite Futsal - Connecting, Finishing, Defending and Helping
The presentation was created in collaboration with Josan Gonzalez (ElPozo Murcia head coach) and has an extensive amount of video examples as well as data gathered from the top tier of Spanish futsal. The presentation aims to help attendees understand the different roles of the pivot, different player profiles, modern trends, different approaches to defending against elite level pivots and how these trends could shape session designs.-
David began his coaching career whilst studying and playing for Loughborough University. From there he became the Head of Futsal at Nottingham Trent University. In 2021, David relocated to Spain and became the head coach of CD Victoria Kent in the 3rd tier of Spanish futsal. He was approached by UMA Antequera (now Málaga FS) to be part of the 1st team staff and has been there for 3 seasons whilst also making Opposition Analysis reports for coaches in Primera División.
Chris Yiannaki & Marc Forrest
Lecturer in Coaching & Performance at University of Lancashire, Specialist Coach at Arsenal Football Club & FA Coach Developer.
Developing Perceptual Decision-Making Skills for Modern Players: From Theory to Practice
This practical workshop is designed to develop the understanding of conference delegates, highlighting theoretical findings from current futsal research and applying it within a high-quality practical session demonstration. The workshop will focus on the impact of futsal constraints on the way plays scan the court and how that facilitates decision-making, which is essential to develop modern players in futsal and football. With practical observations, underpinned by associated theoretical insights coaches will gain takeaways that can benefit players within their own contexts.-
Chris is currently a Lecturer at the University of Lancashire working on the Professional Doctorate (DProf) in Elite Performance, with expertise in coaching, talent development and sports science. In 2021 Chris completed a Doctorate examining the connections between futsal and football, publishing numerous pieces of academic research becoming a respected futsal researcher globally. This research culminated in a book publication in 2023 with several ongoing research projects. Practically, Chris worked as a coach in professional football for 16 years, as a coach educator for The FA for over a decade and with numerous governing bodies including FIFA and UEFA.
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Marc is a highly respected and prominent figure within coaching and coach development in English futsal with extensive experience both nationally and internationally. A world class résumé as the first English coach to work in the top professional leagues of RFEF Spanish futsal at Peñíscola FS. Achieved five consecutive medals at IBSA World and European Championships including three consecutive World Cup Finals with England. In addition to UEFA Futsal Champions League pedigree and over a decade as a FA Coach Developer. Currently at world renowned professional football club, Arsenal FC working across the academy youth teams to develop world class talent.
David McGurk & Michael Morton
Directors at Tactx
Individual Movements and Open/Closed Body Duels
An insight into the nine individual movements and developing players to be comfortable in open and closed body duels. The topics will include related practices.-
The pair behind Tactx have coached at every level of the game and have created a coaching platform which is now used by over 3000 coaches worldwide.
Plus many more further down this page…
Schedule
How your day at the England Futsal Coaching Conference will look…
Welcome & Key Note
9:00 – 9:30am
Session 1
9:30 - 10:20am
Session 2
10:30 - 11:20am
Break + Guest Q&A
11:20 - 12:00pm
Session 3
12:10 - 13:00pm
Panel Session & Closing
13:00 - 13:30pm
Lionesses vs Slovakia Game 1
14:00pm
Matija, Mico & John will be sitting on our lunchtime Q&A panel as three of the national team Head Coaches going head-to-head throughout the week.
Matija Dulvat
Head Coach of Sweden Men’s National Futsal Team and Futsal Dinamo (Croatia)
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Matija joins us as the third international Head Coach on our lunchtime expert panel.
A former professional futsal player and Croatian international, he recently received a contract extension as Head Coach of Sweden and is also Head Coach of Croatian giants Futsal Dinamo, whom he helped found back in 2012.
Matija is a giant of the European game.
Mico Martic
Head Coach of Switzerland Men’s National Futsal Team
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Mico is one of the most respected coaches in European futsal. After a playing career which saw him represent his nation of Croatia, Mico has gone on to coach Futsal Dinamo at club level, as well as Finland, Lithuania and now Switzerland at international level.
He is also the founder of the futsal news outlet - Futsal Planet.
John Tapia-Owens
Head Coach of England Men’s National Futsal Team
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John has had a highly successful domestic coaching career in English futsal, managing Bloomsbury Futsal Club (formerly ProFutsal London), with whom he won the League and Cup double in 2023 before taking them into the UEFA Futsal Champions League, as well as leading University of Hertfordshire to become BUCS National Champions in the same season.
He has been Head Coach of our senior Men’s National Team since 2024, overseeing our UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 Main Round qualification campaign and now our 2028 Men’s FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification campaign.
OUR EXPERT GUEST SPEAKERS
Tom Hartley
Ambassador at Play Their Way
Play Their Way
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Tom is an experienced coach and coach developer, with roots in football and experience of supporting coaches across a variety of Olympic and Professional Sport. Tom is an ambassador for Play Their Way, and is recognised by CIMSPA as a Senior Practitioner with a specialism in coaching children & young people.
During our workshop we will explore what Play Their Way is, why it is important, and how it can build engagement and development in your practice.Scott Smith
Head of Foundation Phase at Norwich City Football Club
The influence & integration of futsal on a football programme: A development journey
This presentation will combine theory, videos, real life workings and examples of building and implementing a futsal programme at a professional football academy.-
Scott has 15+ years working in academy football & futsal. He has also completed the Futsal UEFA B License course.
Bruno Miguel Correia Silva
Professor at Instituto de Telecomunicações, University of Beira Interior
IndoorData: A Data-Driven Decision Support Framework for Futsal Performance and Coaching
This workshop presents IndoorData as an integrated, data-driven decision-support platform for futsal coaching and performance management. Participants will explore how training and match data can be structured, analysed, and transformed into actionable tactical and strategic insights. Through practical demonstrations and real-case scenarios, attendees will experience how to plan training sessions, manage game preparation, monitor workload, and generate performance analytics within a single digital ecosystem. By attending, coaches and technical staff will gain a clear framework for implementing evidence-based methodologies and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and competitive performance in futsal environments.
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Bruno Miguel Correia da Silva is an Associate Professor at the University of Beira Interior and an integrated researcher at the Instituto de Telecomunicações. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering in 2015 and has since developed a solid academic and research career in Computer Science. His main research interests include Internet of Things (IoT), mobile health (mHealth), smart cities, distributed systems, cloud and edge computing, cooperation and reputation mechanisms, and intelligent networked systems. He is a member of the Network Services and Applications – CV research group and the Secure and Intelligent Networked Software Systems (SINS-Lab), where he serves as vice-coordinator. Bruno Silva has authored and co-authored numerous articles in high-impact international journals and conferences (IEEE, ACM, Elsevier, Springer), and has been actively involved in national and international R&D projects, including as Principal Investigator. He regularly serves as reviewer and program committee member for leading scientific journals and conferences. In 2023, he co-founded IndoorData, a spin-off of the University of Beira Interior focused on intelligent digital platforms for sports training management and performance analysis, bridging research in computer science, data analytics, and sports science.
Nuno André Nunes & Sean Dye
Senior Lecturer Football Coaching, Research Assistant at Southampton Solent University
Comparative Analysis of Offensive Organisation in England Futsal vs Euro Qualifier Nations
The data from the workshop will demonstrate the offensive organisation trends of EF and the other group stage nations, with a comparative analysis and an insight into the trends that were more successful in the tournament group stage.-
Nuno André Nunes, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in Football Coaching at Southampton Solent University and leads the Football Science and Performance Research Group. He brings extensive experience from both academia and applied football environments, having collaborated with organisations such as Chelsea Foundation and Charlton Athletic Community Trust. His expertise spans player development, coaching pedagogy, and performance analysis. Nuno is committed to bridging theory and practice, contributing to the advancement of football coaching through research, publications, and the design of innovative training methodologies that support coaches and players across all levels of the game.
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Sean has spent the past 5 years coaching and analysing Futsal, spending 2 years between undergraduate and masters courses specialising in Futsal Coaching and pegagogy. His PhD endeavours to connect and underpin performance analysis of offensive organisation and coaching pedagogy to develop and improve coaching education.
Dr Luciana De Martin Silva & Sion Kitson
Principal Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Hartpury University & England Futsal Coach Developer, Lionesses Head Coach & Head of Development & Technical at England Futsal.
Developing the Future Player: Travelling as a Tactical Action
This is a practical workshop where Sion & Lu will work with players highlighting key concepts and ideas around Travelling with the Ball as a tactical action and not just a technical action, and why this is important within modern futsal. The session will explore how coaches may take the learnings back into their own context to support the development of young players.-
Luciana is a Principal Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Hartpury University and an ILM7 Coach Developer consulting for England Futsal, UK Coaching and The FA. She sits on the CIMSPA expert panel for the coaching professional standard. Her futsal coaching career spans 20 years including grassroots, University, tier 1 club and international level. She won the FA Futsal Cup twice and co-led the England Women’s Deaf team to 4th place at the European Championships. Luciana has contributed to establishing England Futsal’s talent pathway from its inception, with significant experience coaching in the Senior women’s programmes. She is also an Executive Board member of the Cluster for Research into Coaching (CriC), researching coach learning, identity and socio-pedagogic practice.
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Sion is England Futsal’s Senior Women’s National Team Head Coach and also our Head of Development & Technical Lead.
Luis Mendonca & Mark Simmons
Co-Lead coaches of the England Futsal U17 & U19 Talent Development Programme
Four Zero: Principles & Guidelines
This workshop will attempt to help to understand the objectives of the 4:0 attacking system and how to develop players and teams able to apply it based on the principles of play.-
Luis is a Former futsal player in Portugal with extensive experience in coaching and coach development in England. Currently an England Futsal Coach Developer and Co-Lead Coach for the Talent Development Programme (Male U17 & U19 South Hub). Luis previously coached Cambridge United Futsal Club and worked with The FA as a Futsal Coach Developer and Tutor. He holds a degree in Sports Science in High Performance Sport (specialised in futsal) and a Master’s in High Performance Sports Coaching from the University of Porto (Portugal).
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Mark played in England’s first-ever international futsal fixture at the KL World Cup and has loved the game ever since. From being part of the U19s selection process ahead of the UEFA qualifiers in Croatia, to watching players grow over 18 months and perform on the national stage, it’s been a journey of pride and purpose for him.
After Covid, he travelled across the South delivering CPD events and coaching qualifications (Futsal Levels 1, 2, and now the National Futsal Course), always driven by a passion to share the game and help it grow.
As Head of Football at an independent school and former Director of Sport, Mark has helped to embed futsal into the school system—supporting staff, building CPD pathways, and creating school-focused resources.