Four years ago, it was barely on the radar.
Now, futsal fever is sweeping Dunedin, and it is already the most popular summer sport for children in the city.
Every Wednesday, 215 teams from Dunedin primary schools play at the Edgar Centre.
On Tuesdays, 100 teams of intermediate and junior high school players play the sport, while 30 teams consisting of senior high school pupils play the sport on Thursdays.
With most teams consisting of seven players or more - futsal involves five players from each team on the court at once - that is upwards of 2000 youngsters converging on the Edgar Centre each week.
Futsal South development manager Mike Clark said the game was very popular among school pupils.
Coaching in primary schools had boosted its popularity and those pupils wanted to play the sport as they moved through the education system.
He said the game was quick, well organised, and was over in a relatively short time. Games lasted about 30 minutes and the rules were not overly complicated.
Many players from other codes played the game.
Some primary schools have up to a dozen teams, though questions have been asked about what impact the rise in futsal is having on playing numbers in traditional summer sports such as softball and cricket.
