A growing sport with great potential

The passionate René Olsen, which is responsible for Futsal Education and the national coach for the men's national futsal team are behind one ambitious project with the training of futsal coaches throughout Greenland.

The vision is large: From beginner to elite – all over the country, from coast to coast, and in the mother tongue, so that everyone can benefit fully from the teaching.

The passionate René Olsen, which is responsible for Futsal Education and the national coach for the men's national futsal team are behind one ambitious project with the training of futsal coaches throughout Greenland.

The vision is large: From beginner to elite – all over the country, from coast to coast, and in the mother tongue, so that everyone can benefit fully from the teaching.

Behind the project stands Kalaallit Arsaattartut Kattuffiat (KAK), which focuses on creating healthy and inspiring club environments where coaches can develop their skills, find renewed commitment and thus lift futsal as a whole - to the benefit of players, clubs and future generations of coaches.

A zealot is born

René Olsen has been part of KAK since 2005 and has worked with both youth and senior national teams - indoors as well as outdoors. But it wasn't until 2013 that his great passion really took shape: the early days of futsal.

The project starts as one development initiative in collaboration with Elite Sport Greenland, and has been growing ever since the sport – both in popularity and quality. René Olsen is quickly captivated by futsal and the opportunities the sport opens up for the Greenlandic people. Indoor sports perfectly suited to the harsh climate, where the weather often makes outdoor football challenging. But futsal is more than just an alternative to outdoor games. I compared to traditional indoor football, futsal is far more technical and requires sharp passes, quick decisions and constant movement. The pace is loud, the game intense and every action on the pitch counts – something that both challenges the players and creates entertainment for the spectators. For René Olsen futsal quickly becomes a passion because the sport combines community, technique and tactical finesse in a manner perfectly suited to the country's halls and players.

A starting point in own experiences

René quickly discovers that futsal is something completely different from traditional indoor football. For him and his generation, it is first about retraining from the well-known game of football to futsal fast pace and technical requirements. But his vision is already clear: to give them young people the opportunity to grow up with futsal as their natural starting point. And that vision seems to hold true.

- Today, children and young people grow up with futsal, as part of their everyday life. They learn the game from scratch without having to think soccer habits like the rest of us did. This means that the players of the future are technically stronger, faster and more creative right from the start, says René.

The one that initially only consisted of René and his fellow national coach, Tekle Ghebrelul, on a single coaching course, develops quickly move on to something much bigger.

- We could quickly see that a lot was needed more to. We needed to train more coaches – and not least referees, so that the matches could also be judged properly, says René.

Since then, the work has grown, and the experiences have slowly shaped the way futsal is developed today.

- We continue to build on the experience we did us in the beginning, when we were still groping and didn't know enough about futsal. Today we stand in a completely different place – we have gained knowledge, structure and experience, so that we can approach things far more purposefully and appropriately, says René Olsen.

From screen to hall

One of the most targeted and successful step in the development of Greenlandic futsal is the collaboration with the Spanish one educational company behind Futsal Profive Academy – an online course that has proved to be tailored to the Greenlandic conditions.

- They started offering online courses during corona, and that concept suits us perfectly here in Greenland. We fight along great distances, and it would cost a farm to collect everyone physically, says René with a smile.

So far, around 150 Greenlandic have trainers completed the Profive courses during 2024 and 2025 – and according to René It has been a clear success.

- The online courses are always, but theory must of course be followed up by practice. In the autumn of 2024, we therefore started our own physical part of the education, which Aqissiaq Ludvigsen has played one key role in getting things back on their feet, he says.

Aqissiaq Ludvigsen, who is KAK's new general secretary, together with René has developed a strong partnership that for seriousness has given futsal development air under its wings.

- The more tools the coaches get in theirs toolbox, the better the club training. It gives both bigger retention and more enjoyment for the members, says Aqissiaq Ludvigsen.

Together, they have not only set the direction the development - they have also ensured that the effort is felt outside the country.

The game in our language

From Upernavik's northern coast to Nanortalik's southern mountains – and with stops in towns such as Paamiut, Qeqertarsuaq, Sisimiut, Tasiilaq, Uummannaq, Aasiaat and Maniitsoq – have Greenlandic futsal instructors traveled the country thinly to run the physical courses, taught in Greenlandic and with a passion that is felt in every hall.

The biggest challenge right now is acting namely not about economics or logistics – but about language. The courses in Futsal Profive Academy is only offered in English and Danish, and that makes a natural difference limit to how many can get full benefit from the teaching. But René Olsen thinks bigger – and his ambitions match his passion.

- We are working on getting the education translated to Greenlandic. It is a huge technical work, but the first modules are already translated. And we can clearly feel the effect. It creates a very special one joy when children, young people and adults can learn in their own language, says René.

René speaks with warmth and conviction, that leaves no doubt: The project is not only about futsal – it is about also about identity, community and the pride of being able to train at Greenlandic. René clearly feels that the coaching courses make a difference to everyone levels – but even he has been surprised by how engaged the new ones are coaches are. A good example is Rass Abelsen. In addition to being part of the men's national team in futsal, Rass is also a trained futsal coach. He comes from Tasiilaq, where he was tasked with running a physical course - on his own home court.

- After the course, Rass came over and hugged me and said: Thank you because I had to. I was completely moved - because in reality I was it was me who should say thank you. We both stood there, a little moved because we both are allowed to give something back to our community and our sport, says René with a smile.

According to René, it is the online part of the courses the foundation – a solid starting point for all coaches. But that, KAK itself builds on top of with the physical courses, is the heart behind the project. This is where the relationships are occurs, experiences are shared and the sport comes alive. Because it's not just shopping about technique and tactics – but about community, language and the pride of creating something of our own, in Greenlandic halls and on Greenlandic land. So when the ball is rolling in the halls tomorrow, it's not just games – it's futsal in our language, with one future that looks bright and vibrant.