FUT-SAL may not be familiar to the casual sports fan but in Pendle they play Fut-sal for England.

Literally!

The only area in the country where the game is played, Pendle's finest represent England at international level.

Like England's cricketers, however, they are lagging behind.

Glen Little, a 21-year-old left-sided midfield player for Nelson, was a member of the team which recently arrived back from touring Australia.

He is one of the more promising participants in a sport which has so far failed to grip the nation.

You can forget all about your Christmas tree formations in this game.

This is a diamond-shaped variation where matches swing faster than you can say: "Diamonds are forever".

High scoring games are a feature while fitness and control are at a premium.

Much like five-a-side indoor soccer, Fut-sal encourages the "pass and move" principle elegantly demonstrated by Liverpool FC.

There are three main differences.

The ball is a size smaller and also heavier than the regulation size five, there is no wall, as in five-a-side, and the nets are hockey size. "Geoff Payton introduced it here a few years ago after playing the game in Australia," explained Glen.

"But it has never really taken off. It was experimented with in Morecambe and Lancaster but not much interest was shown.

"We now have two leagues in Pendle, 10 teams in each league.

"And there are more seeking to get in. It's a fast-growing sport in Pendle even if that isn't the case elsewhere in England.

Made popular on the continent through extensive TV exposure, Fut-sal has attracted such footballing giants as Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta.

Brazilian exponents, naturally, set the standard but Australia, where Glen and 10 Pendle team-mates have just returned from tour, now figures prominently on the international stage.

A fixture against the national team could not be arranged, however, as they are currently playing a series of exhibition matches in Brazil.

It was just as well - Pendle failed to beat any of the Australian state sides and suffered a whopping 13-4 defeat at the hands of Canberra.

"We didn't do so well," admitted Glen with poker-faced understatement. "We're ranked 12th in the world and they're 11th, so we thought we'd be on a par. "But they were a totally different class to us. They've had so much government backing it's unbelievable.

"They've got thousands of players to choose from in each state while we've got 120 in total.

"Their approach is far more professional and they hire the best coaches in the world.

"But, despite the results, it was an enjoyable trip."

And why not when visits to Sydney Harbour, The Opera House and Bondi Beach are included in the itinerary?

While an opera did not appeal to this bunch of lads, they were more than happy to spend a few hours on the Bondi sand.

Did they go to catch the surf?

You must be kidding. Further along the beach they were filming the latest round of "Topless Darts"!

Back home, Nelson have not been plummeting to the same depths as the Pendle lads even though an 8-3 thrashing by Tetley Walker bore all the hallmarks. But Glen believes Nelson have the potential to be the second best team, behind Vauxhall GM, in North West Counties' League Division Two.

"We're good enough to be second," said Glen.

"Results like the one against Tetley Walker won't help the cause.

"But we're a much better team than that and over the next few weeks our results will have to prove it."

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