The national futsal league beyond the courts: locations, achievements and current affairs

Abstract

The Liga Nacional de Futsal (LNF) is one of the most important competitions in Brazilian and world futsal. Founded in 2014, with the Futsal League as its embryo, created in 1996 by CBFS, LNF is based on the North American franchise model, which offers greater stability to teams, long-term investments and equal division of revenue. The objective of this study, therefore, is to describe and analyze the panorama of the LNF from its foundation in 1996 until the year 2023, focusing on the following aspects: the regions of origin of the teams, the most successful teams and their main sources of revenue in order to understand how teams are distributed in the Brazilian scenario, as well as the relationships and conditions that allow them to compete at a high level. The methodology adopted was the documentary analysis of tables, LNF regulations, and financial data from the participating teams, in addition to journalistic articles. The results showed that the South and Southeast regions have been the most successful, possibly due to factors such as pioneering in the practice of indoor football. Teams from the interior stand out in futsal due to the support of local companies, government subsidies, as well as the individual initiatives of some agents. In the capitals, futsal competes with other forms of entertainment, which relegates the sport to a secondary level. Team management projects have different characteristics but mainly depend on sponsorship from private companies. Future studies are needed to explore local contexts and individual trajectories in Brazilian futsal.