From 11 players to five players; from a full sized soccer field to a basketball court; from long crosses to short, quick passes: Welcome to the game of futsal.

Futsal is a version of indoor soccer played on a basketball-sized court with four players and a goalie, according to senior Suri Chavali. Through the Massachusetts Futsal Association, there are various leagues and divisions in which many students at the high school and members of the community play.

For senior Ben Gerber, who played on the varsity soccer team with Chavali, futsal is both a fun winter alternative to outdoor soccer and a way for players to stay competitive and sharp when outdoor soccer is not an option.

“You can always tell when you go back out for the spring season who has been playing futsal all winter and who hasn’t,” Chavali said.

Chavali plays for five different futsal teams with players of various skill levels. Some teams are with other competitive outdoor soccer players like himself, but others are with his parents.

“For teams where I have more people on my level, I do as much as I possibly can,” Chavali said. “When I’m playing with people who might not be as good as me, it’s fun to help them feel better about themselves.”

Although futsal is popular among many competitive soccer players like Chavali and Gerber, sometimes other athletes play futsal, including rowers or other non-soccer players in School Within a School.

Junior Derek Kauffman said he plays on the crew futsal team as a way to “just have fun and play soccer.”

Kauffman said his team was created when the crew team decided to do something fun together other than typical crew training. Their attitudes throughout their season were not always focused on winning but rather on the community aspect, he said.

“We played a game against a team of people who go to our school and are in our grade,” Kauffman said. “It was fun to play against them, and it got really rowdy.”

Senior Gillian Orlando-Milbauer, who has played soccer since she was young, said she appreciates futsal because it is less demanding than sports such as outdoor soccer, which she has not been able to play since she injured her knees.

Playing on a co-ed team, the Flamingos, for the second year, Orlando-Milbauer says although this team is competitive, winning every game has been less important than progressing as players and as a cohesive team.

“It’s gotten more fun as we’ve gotten better,” she said.

The team has an Instagram and Twitter account and their own website, which has gotten them very involved with both futsal and the social media community they reach out to.

Because futsal welcomes both competitive soccer players and those interested in playing in a more casual environment, it has attracted many participants with various athletic backgrounds.

“One of the teams is a father-son team, and it’s crazy. It’s so much fun,” Chavali said. “And there’s nothing like passing to my mom and seeing her score.”

Lily Böhlke can be contacted at [email protected]