The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Futsal Championship kicks off in Suva, Fiji today with seven nations competing for a place at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in September.There was a late change to kick off times in the tournament and the first match between Solomon Islands and New Zealand will now kick off at 16H00 (local time) followed by Tuvalu v Vanuatu at 18H00 and Fiji v New Caledonia at 20H00.

Oceaniafootball.com will provide up to date results, photos and match reports of all games at the tournament.

The tournament is destined to have a new winner this year as New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu all compete for the championship which Australia has dominated since the tournaments conception.

Australia has won four titles in a row since 1992 with New Zealand and Fiji both earning runners up honours on two occasions, New Zealand in ‘92 and ‘04 and Fiji in ‘96 and ‘99.

Australia left OFC on January 1, 2006 to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and their absence provides a pathway for another nation to represent Oceania at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in September.

Australia was cast in the same group as world champions Brazil at the FIFA Futsal World Cup – Chinese Taipei 2004 and finished the group stage of the tournament without a win.

Futsal – an indoor form of football played with five players per side and a weighted ball – has become increasingly popular throughout countries in OFC and the lure of a FIFA World Cup and the absence of heavyweights Australia will make this tournament well received throughout all competing nations.

The OFC Futsal Championship kicks off on Sunday 8 June at 16H00 with the Solomon Islands entertaining New Zealand in the tournament opener.

The tournament follows a round robin format based on a league system and runs from Sunday 8 June through to Saturday 14 June.

All match results, news and photos can be found at www.oceaniafootball.com

2008 OFC Futsal Championships

Dates 8 – 14 June 2008

Venues Vodafone Arena, Suva, Fiji

Format Round robin tournament based on a league system. The winner will represent OFC at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008.

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 8/6/2008

Coach Futsal in the best Association within NSW. The Sutherland Shire Futsal Association invites you to apply to Coach select teams in the upcoming 2008 – 2009 Football NSW Futsal Super League.Coaches will be selected on merit taking into consideration all relevant experiance and qualifications both from Futsal and Football. Each Coach must have or expect to attain a Football Federation Australia (FFA) level 1 Futsal Certificate prior to the conclusion of the season.

Players in teams under 12, 14, 16 boy’s, under 13, 16 girl’s, under 19 men’s and all age men and women are selected from all eligible and available players during open trials conducted by the Association.

If you feel suitably qualified & experienced to Coach please email secretary@shirefutsal.com.au and or call Jonathan Simnett 0417 042 145 for more information.

Express your interest by 5pm Friday 1st August 2008.

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal Association
Published : 7/6/2008

If the Tahitian Futsal team are to have success at the OFC Futsal Championships in Suva this week a lot of credit will go to Scott Gilligan, the technical advisor working with the side.

Since April of this year, Gilligan and head coach Rani Bea have been living with the squad in a football academy in Tahiti, training twice a day with every Sunday off.

Gilligan is the current Australian futsal coach and was approached to help prepare the Tahiti team for the OFC Championships.

“Tahiti embraced Futsal for the first time last year,” Gilligan said. “The first ever tournament attracted 20 teams and the winner earned the right to represent Tahiti at the OFC Futsal Championships.”

Gilligan said that eight players in the Tahitian side are from the small island of Rapa – where there is no airport and they have to take a boat across to the main Island.

Though the team has only been playing Futsal for a short time Gilligan said he was impressed with how far they have come and developed.

“There have been big improvements across the board for all our players, everyone has really improved a lot. There are no outstanding stars but collectively we work well as a unit. I think we will shock a few teams.”

Gilligan was level headed about his expectations from the tournament.

“The intention is to come here and win but I think realistically Solomon Islands are the team to beat. However there are some aspects of the game like pressure defence and scoring goals on the back post that Tahiti do better than the Australian team so you never know.

“But it is a learning curve for them, only the goalkeeper has ever been out of the country from the squad.”

Gilligan said it was difficult to try and control their excitement because he didn’t want it to affect their game.

“They are very excited. I want them to feel like it’s just another game but I know their level of excitement is just going to keep them buzzing.”

Gilligan said Tahiti carries a young squad with an average age of 22 and have had the advantage of training in some quality facilities in Tahiti.

“We trained on full sized pitches – which were a godsend in more ways than one. A lot of countries haven’t been training on a full court, and we have trained for 100 minutes, rather than 70, so we are very well conditioned.”

Tahiti have a bye on Match Day One and will face Tuvalu first up at 20H00 on match day two.

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 7/6/2008

New Zealand Futsal coach Erkin Osman is looking to combine his experience with the teams enthusiasm and raw talent to guide the side to their first ever Futsal World Cup.Osman – who was a late replacement for coach Rod Crighton – was a member of the Australian Futsal team from 1983 – 1984 and is the only Australian to have played at four Futsal World Cups.

He only joined the NZ team three weeks ago and said that though he has only had a short time with the side is very confident in their ability.

“I have only had eight training sessions together with the squad, maybe totalling 23 hours.

“The assistant coach has been working with the guys when I haven’t been around and there has been a lot of positives to come out of the last three weeks,” Erkin said.

“Once we started training, there were some important lessons learned very quickly and I believe we have a great shot at winning this thing. There will be no excuses from me if we don’t.”

Osman – who lives in Sydney – was the coach of the Australian Futsal team for several years and now runs his own soccer academy in Australia.

“When the occasion comes up for a job like this I don’t mind coming in late into the piece. I have the trust in the players and the confidence that they can do the job.

“The guys all have the Futsal World Cup in their sights and they are jumping out of their skins to get there. If we come up short it won’t be for lack of effort.”

Osmans squad consists of four players who travelled to Australia for the OFC Futsal Championship in 2004.

“We will look to our experienced players like Eliah Billeh, Josh Martin and Andrew Gwilliam for leadership and guidance on the field.

Of the new guys Marvin Eakin has been one of the most impressive. He picks things up very quickly and is a good motivator and that is why I have named him Vice Captain.

Osman noted that the tactics of futsal are totally different to football, which many of his team play throughout different leagues in New Zealand.

“In Futsal you can’t afford to have players who can’t defend. Possession turnover is a very big deal and there is an extremely quick transition between attack and defence.

“Everything is very intense, especially in defence where you have to be an extremely tight knit unit.”

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 7/7/2008

“We are 100% physically, mentally and spiritual ready. We have been training five times a week for four months for this tournament.”That was the staunch, confident opinion of Vanuatu Futsal assistant coach Marco Herrominly who has been grooming the experienced squad based in Port Vila, alongside head coach Marcellino Barthelemy.

Herrominly said that he didn’t mind the team thinking ahead to the thought of competing at the countries first ever FIFA World Cup event.

“This is their dream,” he said. “Now they are like a hungry dog… waiting.”

Vanuatu’s preparation program has involved four months of training with inter-squad games serving as trial runs.

“The facilities in Vanuatu are not like here, we play on concrete inside back home,” Herrominly said.

“There are no stars in our team but instead it is the collective, team effort that will get us through.”

Barthelemy brings with him an experienced squad with four players making appearances for Vanuatu at the OFC Futsal Championships in both 1999 and 2004.

Vanuatu has an active Futsal foundation consisting of 38 teams throughout different leagues from Premier level right through to Women’s Futsal and a U-12 junior league.

Barthelemy said there is an interesting transition he has noticed from football players to Futsal.

“When players go from futsal to football there is no problem,” he said. “But when it is flipped the other way around and players go from football to futsal they struggle to adapt to the new environment.”

Vanuatu kick-off their 2008 OFC Futsal Championship campaign when they meet Tuvalu at 18H00 at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 7/6/2008

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Futsal Championship kicks off in Suva, Fiji on Sunday with seven nations competing for a place at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in September.

The tournament is destined to have a new winner this year as New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu all compete for the championship which Australia has dominated since the tournaments conception.

Australia has won four titles in a row since 1992 with New Zealand and Fiji both earning runners up honours on two occasions, New Zealand in ‘92 and ‘04 and Fiji in ‘96 and ‘99.

Australia left OFC on January 1, 2006 to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and their absence provides a pathway for another nation to represent Oceania at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in September.

Australia was cast in the same group as world champions Brazil at the FIFA Futsal World Cup – Chinese Taipei 2004 and finished the group stage of the tournament without a win.

Futsal – an indoor form of football played with five players per side and a weighted ball – has become increasingly popular throughout countries in OFC and the lure of a FIFA World Cup and the absence of heavyweights Australia will make this tournament well received throughout all competing nations.

The OFC Futsal Championship kicks off on Sunday 8 June at 17H00 with the Solomon Islands entertaining New Zealand in the tournament opener.

The tournament follows a round robin format based on a league system and runs from Sunday 8 June through to Saturday 14 June.

All match results, news and photos can be found at www.oceaniafootball.com

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 6/6/2008

 

Unlike most teams in the OFC Futsal Championships, New Caledonia (NCL) is made up of a team who all specialize in Futsal.Coached by Eric Michalak and assisted by Wema Alexandre, the coaching staff wanted NCL players to decide which form of the game they wanted to be involved in and the squad who arrive tonight in Suva all chose Futsal.

Alexandre has been with the side since September 2007 and said that the team has trained together a lot and played warm up matches against local teams from NCL.

The New Caledonian Futsal competition is split into North and South competitions with one league in each. In the South there are two divisions (1st and 2nd) and in the North there are two districts (East and West).

Alexandre said that the team was only able to train together once a month for most of the year because the distances are so large between districts.

“I cannot speak about our chances because we haven’t had preparation matches with other countries. Every teams is ready for this tournament and we have to take each match as it comes.”

Michalak and Alexandre were both instrumental figures in developing Futsal in NCL.

“I started to develop Futsal in the North around 2004 and Eric did the same,” Alexandre said.

“The game is quicker, the ground is very different but technically it is very similar. You can very easily transfer football skills into Futsal.”

Alexandre compared Futsal to Handball, a sport that is very popular in NCL and across Europe in the way it very quickly transitions from defence to attack

Alexandre said that the Vodafonr Arena in Suva was bigger and better than anything he has played on in NCL.

“The complex is unreal, this one can hold 5,000 where as the biggest one in NCL can only hold 500, my players will be impressed.”

There is a wider range of experience in the NCL squad with the youngest member 21 and the oldest 34.

“This is our first international tournament in Futsal and it is a great experience for us. It is very good for Futsal in New Caledonia and we are on our way to making Futsal in NCL improve.”

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 6/6/20008

Solomon Island Futsal coach Victor Wai’ia has the anomaly of having the youngest and yet the most experienced squad at the OFC Futsal Championships in Suva.The squad boasts two 17 year olds with the oldest player only 22 and yet seven of the side remain from the Australia National Futsal Championship in Canberra this year.

That experience combined with a pre-tournament trip to Sydney next week makes the Solomon Island side very well prepared for the test ahead of them in Fiji.

Wai’ia was the assistant coach in the 2004 OFC Futsal Championships in Sydney and has since risen through the ranks to take charge of the young side that he has been grooming for many years.

“I coached these boys since they were 12 and were put together in the school of excellence and the junior league that we organised back in Honiara,” Wai’ia said.

The Solomon Island side have had a healthy preparation campaign where they travelled to Sydney, Australia and met competition from the Dural Warriors (7-4 win), North End Beaches (6-5 win) and Sydney Magic (3-4 loss).

Wai’ia said that three of his squad play outdoor football in lower divisions back home and the rest are all specialized Futsal players.

“Futsal is really growing in the Solomon Islands,” said Wai’ia. “We now have 109 registered teams from U-12 to U-16 level.”

“The open category league started three weeks ago and my squad all play for open category clubs.”

Wai’ia said he will look to two utility players to lead his team when the tournament starts on Sunday.

“Elliot Ragomo and Jack Whetney both have experience paying in the high profile European and Australian Futsal leagues.

Wai’ia said that the Vodafone Arena will provide a different feel to the courts the Solomon Island team are used to playing on.

“We don’t have specialized Futsal facilities in the Solomon’s so intead we play on Netball courts, where the dimensions are a little smaller.”

“We will have to adjust to the bigger field size but will have a good chance to have a look when we train at the arena tomorrow evening.

“The players are very excited and have been looking forward to this for a long time.”

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Published : 6/6/2008

A total of 34 goals were scored at the most recent Vikings Coomera River Cup played last Thursday June 5th at UCSC.

ROBINA WINS AGAIN:

Last Thursday, June 5th saw the ninth event of 2008’s “Vikings Coomera River School Cup”, this time staged at UCSC for the 13 Boys division.

The games were fast and furious with BENOWA SHS, ROBINA SHS, UPPER COOMERA STATE COLLEGE and ASSISI COLLEGE scoring a collective, amazing 34 goals for the afternoon. Congratulations to Robina SHS who continued their rich form in 2008, collecting their 6th Viking of 2008. As always, thank you to all players, coaches and officials for a wonderful evening of Futsal.

FINAL RESULTS : 13 BOYS : JUNE 6TH, 2008:

ASSISI COLLEGE 3 DEFEATED UCSC 1
ROBINA SHS 4 DEFEATED ASSISI COLLEGE 0
ROBINA SHS 7 DEFEATED BENOWA SHS 0
BENOWA SHS 4 DEFEATED ASSISI COLLEGE 2
ROBINA SHS 5 DEFEATED UCSC 1
BENOWA SHS 5 DEFEATED UCSC 3

Source : Vikings Futsal Queensland
Published : 7/6/2008

VANUATU will be team to beat in the Oceania FUTSAL five-a-side World Cup play-offs in Suva when the seven team from the region do battle starting Saturday.The side has been bolstered with the inclusion of three national 11-a-side reps.

Tafea Football Club duo, Moise Poida and Fedy Vava who featured in the O League against Ba, are key members of the side which will bank on skills and team work.

They will be joined by former Suva and Wairarapa striker Soromon Suele.

Fiji, which is trying to get into a FIFA World Cup event for the first time, will be wary of the Ni Vanuatu side.

The Fiji side was boosted yesterday with the arrival of Navua defender Siga Ali.

Coach Intiaz Khan and his players have been building combinations will have two more days to fine tune game strategies.

“I am happy I have a full side now and all 12 players are preparing well,” Khan said.

Fiji starts its quest against New Caledonia on Saturday, it will be on a bye on day-two then faces the Solomon Islands on Monday.

Vanuatu will be Fiji’s next opposition and then Tuvalu before facing off with rivals, New Zealand in what will be a thriller and probbaly the decider.

The tournament will be played on a round-robin basis with the team finishing with the highest number of points qualifying from the region.

Source : Fiji Times Online
By : Indira Singh
Published : 5/6/2008