Canberra has always punched above its weight at the national futsal titles but this year changes to the ACT futsal premier leagues could make the capital’s teams even stronger.

The men’s and women’s premier leagues have been restructured so that each team is affiliated with one of Canberra’s outdoor clubs such as Belconnen or Canberra City.

Futsal League manager David Lee said one of the main reasons behind the new changes was to keep intact the ACT’s strong record at national futsal titles.

”It’s all part of providing a better lead-in to national championships and the selections from the teams will be based on premier league form,” Lee said.

”We’re matching up what the FFA plans are, in that Futsal and the outdoor game are united as one.

”Then we positioned the league at this time so it can be a lead into national championships.”

Last year the ACT open and youth men’s teams won national titles, and the youth women made the final in their division.

ACT and Australian open mens team member Trent Flanigan welcomed the changes to the league.

”It’s great, it just makes it more professional,” Flanigan said. ”When we go away in the national team, we are playing on 40 [metres] by 20 courts and in the ACT we were playing on 20 by about 13 courts and it’s really a completely different ball game.

”Now it’s all international sizes, and it’s less teams but the teams are better quality.”

Flanigan’s Canberra Olympic Supercats team includes Australian futsal keeper Angelo Konstantinou, former Australian players Matt Whyte and Elia Salloum as well as Belconnen’s premier league captain Lee Pietrukowski.

But Flanigan expects strong competition from the Canberra City team which has Australian assistant coach Mark Ramussen as coach and former Australian player Danny Macor as well as a host of ACT youth team representatives including City striker Pat Ross Magee.

”That Canberra City team, they’re actually mainly the ACT youth team,” Flanigan said. ”They’ve really been pushing us in past years, they’ve probably just lacked a little bit of experience, but someone like Danny brings that to the team so they will be tough.”

Then there is the Belconnen United team which has Callum and Taylor Beaton, David Leet, Dustin Wells and Cameron Reinhart from the team that won the Capital Football men’s premier league premiership last weekend.

”Belconnen, their team looks pretty good and then there is Queanbeyan as well, who have former Australian player Goran Josifovski and George Cattanach who used to play ACT as well,” Flanigan said. ”There isn’t really many weaknesses anywhere.”

And he’s betting that it will increase the ACT’s title run at a national level.

”We’ve always done pretty well at the national championships level and I think that’s also because we have had a team that has played together for a long time,” Flanigan said.

”But playing week-in week-out a great level of competition it can only be a good thing for ACT teams.”
The new ACT men’s and women’s premier league futsal competitions kick off tonight at the ANU sports halls.

The league will play every Friday night at ANU from now through to December.

Games kick off at 6.15pm.

The draws for the leagues are available on www.capitalfootball.com.au

Source : The Canberra Times
By : Merryn Sherwood
Published : 19/9/2008

In what was a great day at Menai Indoor Centre for the Inaugural 5STAR Preseason Cup our group of Magicians came up trumps and scored another Trophy to add to our ever expanding Trophy cabinet.

In what was a fantastic day organized by 5STAR proprietors Peter Spathis and Adam Confoy. The competition consisted of 3 Premier League Clubs ourselves, Western Raiders and Campelltown Quake along with Sutherland Futsal and favourites for Promotion Sydney Benfica FC. Throughout the day Academy squads from other clubs including Sydney City Eagles, Mascot Vipers and West City Crusaders were also represented.

Our u/12s had a great competition in which we finished with a 3 Wins 1 Loss Record.

The young Magicians were involved in one the more exciting clashes in round 1 vs SLB in which we won 3-2. The clash had the supporters of both sides cheering with enthusiasm for almost the entire 26 minutes.

Our only defeat came in Round 2 vs Western Raiders where the team lacked a little tactical awareness, but after a good chat at the end of the game the boys responded extremely well and took the next 2 games with wins over Sutherland in round 3 and Quake in round 4.

Overall a pleasing tournament where all the players played equal amounts of minutes and all contributed to a second place finish.

Star Performer : John Dimitrakis

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 3-2
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 0-5
Round 3 vs Sutherland Futsal 5-1
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 3-2

Our 14 Boys started off slowly in round 1 against SLB but got better and better with every game and towards the end of the competition were playing some very entertaining and good quality Futsal.

After that opening Round 1 loss the boys re grouped to win their next 2 games in outstanding fashion but then lost the 3rd match in the game of the 14s tournament to Premier League Favourites Quake 3-1. If we had taken our chances we could’ve gotten something out of the game.

Overall with such a young and new team the boys performed extremely well and sets them up for a very tough opening two rounds where they play the two competition favourites.

Star Performers: Nathan Parish, Dylan Caton, Andres Vais

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 2-4
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 3-2
Round 3 vs Sutherland Futsal 5-0
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 1-3

The 13 Girls were the clubs best performed team over the weekend winning their 4 games. It was a great performance by the girls who at times played some great futsal.

For a team that has 5 new players that have never played futsal before the girls were great, led by the 3 girls who remained from last seasons team and our youngest female magicians can look forward to a much improved season than last year.

Star Performers: The whole team.

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 7-2
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 3-0
Round 3 vs Sutherland Futsal 5-2
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 2-0

The 16 Boys side were up with the 13G as the clubs best performed side and probably the most entertaining side in the entire competition.

Still not at full strength because of injuries and illness the boys were still just too strong for anyone else on the day. With their full contingent of NSWIS players available the likes of George Khoury, Cameron Parish and David Talevski were outstanding as was Anthony Poniris whilst the young brigade were also superb.

If coaches Maloney and Bortone can get their full squad to most games, this team will be very hard to beat.

Star Performers: George Khoury, Anthony Poniris, Hassan Albadawi.

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 5-1
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 4-3
Round 3 vs Sutherland Futsal 3-1
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 4-2

Our 16 Girls or should I say our 13 girls plus Helen and Jenna and Brigitte in goals put up a great fight all day.

With 6 players absent because of their outdoor Grand final, the u/13s along with their senior team mates put up a great fight to be competitive throughout the day.

A massive thanks to all the u/13 girls that helped out throughout the day.

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 3-6
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 3-0
Round 3 vs Sutherland Shire 3-0
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 3-3

Our Youth Mens side went from a comprehensive beating in round 1 to beating the unbackable Youth favourites in round 3 and clinching the Club the Preseason title in the process.

After Round 1’s hammering, the game obviously had the desireable affect as the Youth Mens then went out and won their next 3 games to finish equal first on the table.

Unfortunately the tournament went sour for the boys with Miki Awad out for a suspected 4-6 weeks with a broken toe and a heart attack to the father of one of the other boys left our squad short on numbers in the last game but young starlets Talevski and Khoury filed the void and were superb.

Star Performers: Jack Atkinson, Anthony Musumeci, Albert Crocco.

Our Senior Womens side was like our 16G very undermanned through out the entire day.

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica was the closest we were to full strength and it showed on the scoreline with a very comprehensive 7-2 victory where we played some outstanding futsal.

Unfortunately in our next game HSC study for Kahlee Doyle and injury to our inspirational leader Rose Scarlato left us short with numbers for the remainder of the tournament but the girls showed plenty of grit and determination for the remainder of the competition none more so than pre season recruit Clare Tyson who was far and away our best player of the tournament.

Our only other victory was in Round 3 where we threw everything at the Sutherland keeper who had an outstanding game to keep the scoreline close.

Special thanks go to Helen and Jenna who doubled up every game after their 16s clash and the 2 or 3 u/13 girls players that also helped out through the day. It was greatly appreciated.

Star Players: Clare Tyson, Helen Petinos

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 7-2
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 1-2
Round 3 vs Sutherland Shire 2-0
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 2-4

And last but not least our Mens side which was split in half after half the lads were still recovering from Carlo Musumeci’s bucks night the night before.

The boys went 2 and 2 over their 4 games with 2 close defeats and 2 comprehensive wins.
Rounds 1 and 4 were the defeats whilst the 2 middle games were the wins.

Round 1 vs Sydney Benfica 0-1
Round 2 vs Western Raiders 4-1
Round 3 vs Sutherland Futsal 5-3
Round 4 vs Campelltown Quake 1-2

Overall in the 32 games played the club recorded 22 victories, 9 losses and 1 draw along the way scoring 102 times whilst conceding 64 averaging a little better than 3- 2 victory in every game.

Congratulations to the u/13 Girls and the u/ 16 boys on winning their respective competitions doing so without a defeat makes it even sweeter. Well done A great start to the season and a real confidence booster for everyone in the club.

Once again congratulations to Peter and Adam from 5STAR Futsal on a great tournament and Johnathan Simnett and his team from Shire Futsal for the great admin work.

Overall it was a very enjoyable and fun day.

Congratulations to all the players and clubs that competed as the day was played in great spirit and in the end futsal was the winner.

The slogan pre tournament was 5STAR, 5 CLUBS 1 CHAMPION.

The slogan after the tournament now reads 5STAR, 5 CLUBS, MAGIC CHAMPIONS.

See everyone on Saturday for our last pre season game prior to the big day.

Source : Sydney Magic PCYC
Published : 17/9/2008

Round 1 of the NSW Futsal Premier League takes place on the 27th of September 2008. There is a fantastic matchup taking place right from the start, with Sydney Magic taking on Campbelltown City Quake.

These two combatants would be amongst the strongest Futsal clubs across Australia and New Zealand, and are certainly worth watching to see how entertaining Futsal can be. Check out the offical flyer below…

* Update 17/9/2008 : The Match Day schedule has been released and is as follows **

10:00am Start of Day
11:000am Academy Team Sydney Magic PCYC vs Campelltown City Quake
12:00pm Under 12s Premier League Fixture
12:45pm Under 14s Premier League Fixture
1:30pm Under 13 Girls Premier League Fixture
2:15pm Under 16 Boys Premier League Fixture
3:00pm PRESENTATION OF HONOURARY AWARDS TO EX FUTSALROOS
3.15pm Celebrity Game First Half

Half Time 3.35pm u/8s Minis
Hurstville Glory vs Marrickville Red Devils , Campelltown Utd vs APIA Leichhardt Tigers

3.50pm Celebrity Game Second Half
4.30pm Open Mens Premier League Fixture

Half Time 5.05pm u/8s Minis
Hurstville Glory vs Birrong Sports, APIA Leichhardt Tigers vs Marrickville Red Devils

5.20pm Opens Mens Premier League Fixture Second Half
6.00pm Under 16 Girls Premier League Fixture
6.45pm Youth Mens Premier League Fixture
7.30pm Open Womens Premier League Fixture
8.15pm End of Day

Football Queensland Futsal has released a letter to all Gold Coast clubs. The original PDF can be seen here. The main contents of the letter are as follows :

17th September 2008

We are pleased to confirm that Football Queensland, in keeping with the strategies outlined in the National Football Development Plan published by Football Federation Australia, will be integrating Futsal competitions throughout Queensland metropolitan and regional areas into the current organisational structure of Zones and Football Queensland.

We seek the support of Football Clubs and members to support us in our efforts to develop coaches, managers, players, referees and supporters in the game. We are committed to this region and have already established competitions at a number of Gold Coast venues including:

• Runaway Bay Sports Centre
• Bond University
• Varsity College
• Tallebudgera Indoor Centre
• Carrara Indoor Sports
• Ashmore

Competition will start in first week in October and will conclude in February. Competition will stop for Christmas on the 19th December and will resume on Monday 12th January, 2009.

We will also be conducting State trials in October and will be able to supply further details of this in the near future. Only players registered with an FFA member and competing in competitions under the jurisdiction of FFA and its members will be eligible for state and national team selection.

For details of how to register or to find out further information on any Futsal matter, please do not hesitate to contact Marcelo Maciel on 0407 144 840.

Regards
Bruce Dinsdale
Football Operations Manager

Source : Football Queensland Futsal
Published : 17/9/2008

In the second of our Futsal4all interviews we chat to one of Australia’s FIFA Futsal referees, Scott Kidson. Scott will be representing Australia at the 2008 FIFA Futsal World cup this year as one of only 32 referees chosen world-wide. We thought it was important to get a top level Referees perspective on the sport we all love.

F4A : Hi Scott, you’ve played and reffed at the highest levels, and have also been involved in coaching. Whats your background in Futsal and how did you get started? What appealed to you in Futsal over Football?

SK : I remember playing a one night competition when I was about 12, but I started playing regularly at my local futsal competition at my local basketball centre when I was 17.

As a kid I was nuts about “soccer”. Futsal was a natural progression after the season finished in outdoor. I was brought into my local Futsal State League team in 1993 and from there it was a natural progression to Futsal state teams. I played some federation level football in my early 20s, but stopped playing football in 1997 to concentrate fully on futsal. To me the outdoor game was not as exciting as its little brother. I was fortunate enough to travel with the Futsalroos to play against Portugal in Porto in 1999.

Futsal appealed more to me because I had a good deal of speed and with smooth rolls and even bounces my less than brilliant ball skills had a better chance. Also, futsal is all about the team. I group of semi-decent players with a strong team ethic will beat a team with individual skill but no cohesion. I like to think I was very team driven which made futsal perfect for me.

F4A : Why then the move from playing to Refereeing?

SK : I refereed football as a kid and enjoyed it a lot. As a player I was always up on the laws because I wanted to make sure I could do whatever was allowable when I was on the pitch and not give away free kicks. I got my futsal referee’s ticket in 2001 to help out at the local centre.

Although my ability to compete as a player at the elite level was waning, my competitive drive was still there. I knew there were opportunities for me to have a career as a referee so after the 2004 Nationals, I made the move across to refereeing.

F4A : After a reasonably quick move up through the Australian Refereeing ranks to the international level, was being selected to Ref at the 2008 World Cup a surprise? Did it happen much faster than you expected?

SK : As it happens, being named has lost me a bet. Pedro Galan Nieto, the legendary Spanish futsal referee, was one of the presenters at the AFC Elite Panel seminars this year. He bet Chris Colley and I that there would be an Australian referee in Brazil. We disagreed so a bet was made that the loser would buy the drinks when we were next together. I guess I’m in for an expensive World Cup.

The biggest surprise for me however was finding seven AFC referees on the appointments list. We were told earlier in the year there would be only four places. While you always have hope you have done enough, I wasn’t really expecting to be one of the Asian group. AFC has a number of very experienced officials so I am honoured to have been selected after only two years on the FIFA panel.

F4A : Have you had to prepare yourself any differently leading up to the 2008 World Cup?

SK : FIFA have provided all 32 referees attending with a training program in the lead up. Having to fit it in around work, refereeing and other commitments has meant some late night and early morning sessions. The training is a little different because I know I am going to have to be at my best to keep up with the speed of the game and the experience of the players so there is a lot of motivation to train solidly and push myself.

F4A : In terms of the time and money it costs you to Referee, do you get compensated adequately for it at the local and International level?

SK : My involvement in futsal, as I would expect is echoed by most people involved in Australia, is that “I’m not in it for the money”. Paying referees at any level is mostly to attract people to doing one of the most unattractive roles in any participation sport. Compensation isn’t something I really think about – anything I get back is a bonus. I do hope that I earn my money though. My last two tournament appointments, the OFC World Cup Qualifiers and the World Cup have both been time away from work on leave without pay. I’ve used up all of my paid holidays with other tournaments like the FFA Nationals and the AFC Futsal Championships.

F4A : So if someone in Australia wanted to make a career out of Futsal refereeing is there the funding and/or the support for that to happen? I mention this as there are some good promising young referees out there, and it would be great to be able to keep them involved in the sport.

SK : Making a career out of futsal refereeing, like making a career out of anything, is a choice. It isn’t simply funding or support that will allow that to happen, it’s a decision by the individual to pursue it. No one can make such a choice and not expect to make some sacrifices with it. That said, a referee wanting to have a career is not chasing it alone. Every year I see improvement in the way in which all aspects of refereeing development is handled. There is certainly a big focus being put on development at all levels.

NSW each year run mandatory refresher courses for local referees to update them with the new Laws. An Elite group will be put together this year who will be running a fitness test and attending a seminar to ensure consistency in interpretation and standards. There will also be practical training open to all referees in NSW but aimed especially at the State League panels. Inspectors courses and advanced grade referees courses are being run by the FFA across the country as they standardise all of their course material. The inaugural Elite panel has also been formed this year in AFC for futsal referees to bring to top 20 referees in Asia to a higher level. The group met in January for three days in Malaysia to standardise our interpretation and increase our knowledge of the Laws. The funding and support look to be good from my point of view.

F4A : Referee’s more often than not get the short end of the stick in most sports, Futsal being no different. Everyone thinks they are right and referees need to develop a hard skin to continue in the sport. I’m sure everyone reading this who has ever played a match has had a run-in with a ref at some point. Have you noticed any improvement in the treatment of Futsal referees since you started, or does it frustrate you to see things no different to how they were in the past?

SK : Referees are always going to be brought into question, be it because someone watching is not up to date with the Laws and their interpretation, or because the referee makes a mistake. Referees are only human. I wouldn’t say I was frustrated at the treatment of referees – however there is always room for improvement in the interaction between players, coaches, spectators and officials. Personally, I think our referees are getting better on average, so I guess there has been an improvement in the treatment of referees. I know that my association is very open to interacting with clubs to answer any questions they may have on the Laws or our interpretations, hopefully fostering better relationships.

F4A : Do you find it harder to ref local games now from a motivational point of view since you’ve been involved with various International matches on a much grander scale?

SK : I try to give my best on any game I officiate. I run just as hard refereeing a local under eights match as I do on an international. To those kids, that game is just as important to them as the AFC Championship semi-final and they deserve to get the best from the official on the touch line. That’s where I look to find my motivation for any match.

F4A : What does reffing at the World Cup level mean to you and where to from here?

SK : To me, refereeing at this level gives me a challenge. As a player at the top level, you want to get everything right, do the most for your team and get the right result. As a referee it’s no different. You want to make good decisions, be in the right position during the match and work with the other members of your team to get the best result.

From here, it is just a matter of being consistent and improving on my weaknesses so that I can put myself in the running to be appointed to any match. As the World Cup progresses, some of the referees will become surplus to requirements and cuts will be made. My aim is to still be there after the first cut, however with the experience in the referees attending I can’t be disappointed if I am one of the officials who gets an early mark.

F4A : Do you find the pressure is on you more in the local comps since a good percentage of the players would know you are a FIFA International ref?

SK : I don’t feel that there is any more pressure on me. As I said, every game is important to the participants so the players and coaches just want a referee who is committed to the game, consistent and fair. That’s what I try to do every time I put on the badge and enter the pitch.

F4A : So after many years involvement in the sport, what has been the best personal moment you have experienced in Futsal?

SK : Scoring in my first international was a pretty big moment, but I guess that refereeing the Japan v Iran semi-final in this year’s AFC Championship is hard to beat. The Thai crowd was very vocal and with the national supporter from the two countries also in fine voice I could hardly hear my whistle as I blew the kick off.

F4A : Do you still find time to play the game?

SK : I do have the occasional kick around with a group of work mates, but nothing too serious. Actually some of the most enjoyable games I’ve been involved in recently have been at referee’s training sessions when I travel overseas. There are plenty of frustrated players in the refereeing ranks and they get a chance to show their wares in the “friendly” matches. Five on five for five minutes at a time. A couple of runs like that is just the ticket to keeping down my desire to make a comeback.

F4A : And for our final question, how do you see the current state of Futsal in Australia, do you think as sport we are headed in the right direction?

SK : I am fortunate to be in New South Wales where there is a strong domestic competition that gains more interest every year. Australia has moved into Asia which opens another set of doors to us. The FFA has just announced an independent review of futsal, like they have done with the men’s, women’s and youth ranks before it. The findings of those previous reviews have changed the football landscape in this country. The round ball game is going from strength to strength, so I look forward to seeing the findings and resolutions from this futsal report.

F4A : Thanks for answering our questions Scott. We wish you all the best at the upcoming Futsal World Cup and will keep an eye out for you on TV!

29/9/2008 Note : This interview has made it as a Featured article on the Football Australia Website (http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/InsideFFA/default.aspx?s=insideffa_newsfeature_features_item&id=23898)

Kurukuru did themselves proud today narrowly losing 3-4 to Goias Futsal Club in Goiana, Brazil. It was their second to last practice match before they kick off the FIFA Futsal World Cup against Cuba on September 30.

According to team management, many positives can be taken out of the performance.

Solomon Islands got off to a perfect start in the opening minute after captain Elliot Ragomo received the ball in the back half of the court and then evaded all defenders before rocketing a shot past the goalkeeper.

It was a superb individual effort and made a statement to the professional Goias squad that the boys from Oceania would be no easy-beats.

Kurukuru continued to take the game up to Goias and established a two-goal lead after Stanley Puriana received the ball close to goal from James Egeta and managed to find room enough to score.

Solomons goalkeeper Junior Lioka was at his best throughout the half, frustrating Goias’ attacking raids with excellent anticipation and willingness to put his body on the line to protect his goal.

Unfortunately for Kukukuru he was unable to stop a close-range shot from Goias late in the half that got the home side back in the game.

The goal eventuated after two Kurukuru players substituted themselves while Goias had possession of the ball and the fresh Solomons boys did not have time to establish their defensive positions.

Coach Victor Wai’ia was pleased with the team’s first half performance, but hopes to see further improvement before the World Cup tournament begins.

A concern for the coach the beginning of the second half when the team began to stray from their game plan,
“The first fifteen minutes of the second half they weren’t playing the way we trained them to play,” said Wai’ia.

“In the last five minutes they were doing it, but we couldn’t equalise.”

One objective was to win the game, the other was to see our training methodology implemented.’

Goias was able to wrestle the advantage away from Kurukuru when it scored two well-worked goals and gained the lead for the first time.

To their credit, the Solomons boys dug deep and were able to equalise through Moffat Sikwa’ai after he latched on to a Ragomo pass.

Goias though hit back soon after and held the lead until the final whistle.

‘It was great for us to play against a professional team and they were very tough, said Ragomo, ‘they moved the well around well and had a lot of patience. For us we needed extra strength to hold our lead when we got it. We were a bit tired also after our long trip and all the training that we’ve been doing. They were the toughest team we’ve ever played I think. We will learned a lot from the mistakes we made today and we just need the confidence to keep on going to the final whistle.’

Kurukuru were originally scheduled to play Goias again on Saturday but they will instead play another local professional side on Sunday morning.

Source : Oceania Football Confederation
Photos : James Ruhfus
Published : 17/9/2008

Premier League round one Saturday 2th August 2008

In what has been billed as the clash of the Titans, the current club champions Sydney Magic PCYC take on the might of Campbelltown City Quake. This day will be highlighted with a charity match for the Johnny Warren Foundation with the likes of Craig Foster, Les Murray, Francis Awaritefe, Chi Chi Mendez, Brendan Renaud and Andy Paschalidis, rubbing shoulders with Futsal stars Sisko Filipovic, Erkin Osman, Brett Hewitt, Elliot Zwangobani, Danny Macor, Steven Knight & Adam Confoy.

Inner West Allstars will be looking for a good start to their season when they take on the strong Sydney City Eagles at the Sports Halls, Homebush. Sydney City were pipped by Sydney Magic in the club championship, so they will be looking to start the season on a good note with the anticipated highlight of the day being the Men’s encounter.

Mascot Vipers take on the surprise packets from last season Western Raiders. The Vipers will be looking to move up the club championship ladder this season while the Raiders will be out to prove they are genuine contenders for the club championship. Highlight of the day should be the Women’s game with Raiders the defending champions and Vipers recruiting well in the off season.

The newly promoted West City Crusaders play host to Hawkesbury Commodores. The Crusaders will be looking for a good start to the season and consolidate on their success of being crown Super League club champions. The Commodores will be trying to give the Crusaders a tough welcome to the Premier League. The game to watch will be the 16 Girls.

Last year’s Premier League Premiers and Champions

12 Boys Premiers : Mascot Vipers
12 Boys Champions : Sydney City Eagles
14 Boys Premiers : Sydney Magic PCYC
14 Boys Champions : Liverpool Fusion
16 Boys Premiers & Champions : Sydney City Eagles
13 Girls Premiers & Champions : Hawkesbury Commodores
16 Girls Premiers : Sydney Magic PCYC
16 Girls Champions : Campbelltown City Quake
Womens Premiers & Champions : Western Raiders
Youth Premiers & Champions : Campbelltown City Quake
Mens Premiers : Sydney City Eagles
Mens Champions : Sydney Magic PCYC

Super League round one Saturday 2th August 2008

In the Super League match of the round, see Sydney Benfica up against fellow title contenders Northern Beaches Breakers. Both clubs will be looking to start on a high note. Game of the night should be the Men’s clash with Benfica coming off a great victory in the 5 star pre season tournament and The Breakers will be looking to defend their victory in last season’s grand final.

The Parramatta Blueberries will be looking to start in a positive manner fresh from the merger with TeleChoice Premier League outdoor club Western Sydney Berries as they take on Greater Western Sydney Vikings. Both Clubs will be looking to move up the Club championship table this season. The women’s game should be the match of the day.

Dural Warriors play host to newcomers Botany Bay Pirates. The Pirates have a tough welcome to the Super League as they face last year’s runners up in the club championship and one of the early favorites to win promotion at the end of the season. The Men’s game will be a highlight with Dural’s Spanish style up against the Brazilian flare of the Pirates.

Fraser Park another new kid on the block will host Northern Tigers. Fraser Park will be hoping home court advantage will help start on the right note. The Tigers will be looking to move up the Super League ladder and build on last season mid table finish. All games will be interesting throughout the day.

South Coast Taipans will host Maccabi at the Illawarra Sports High School. Taipans had a successful last season and will be looking to push into the top three and be ready to pounce if the favorites should slip up. Maccabi will be ready to improve. With a season under their belts, they should move up the ladder and finish mid table. Match of the day will be the Men’s with Maccabi fresh from their experience at Maccabi games and South Coast will want to push for the top 5 this season.

Enfield Rovers play host to another new comer Sutherland Shire. Enfield will be looking to move forward in the club championship this year and will be looking for maximum points on the opening day. The Shire will be looking for a solid start after the experience of the 5 star Futsal tournaments under their belt and proved that they will be no easy beats this season. The 14 Boys game will be match of the day.

In the final match of the round Sydney University will host APIA Leichhardt Tigers. Sydney Uni is back after a year’s break for another shot at the Super League and will be looking to make round one a tough day at the office for APIA. The Tigers will be looking to improve on lasts years’ wooden spoon with a good start away from home. All games will be interesting throughout the day.

Last year’s Super League Premiers and Champions

12 Boys Premiers & Champions : South Coast FC
14 Boys Premiers & Champions : West City Crusaders
16 Boys Premiers & Champions : Enfield Rovers
13 Girls Premiers & Champions : Northern Beaches Futsal
16 Girls Premiers : Northern Beaches Futsal
16 Girls Champions : South Coast FC
Womens Premiers : West City Crusaders
Womens Champions : Northern Beaches Futsal
Youth Premiers & Champions : Dural Warriors
Mens Premiers & Champions : Northern Beaches Futsal

Source : Football NSW
Published : 17/9/2008

Alan J Vessey from the FFA has sent out a letter to the Futsal community. The contents are as follows :

We are pleased to confirm that Football Federation Australia (FFA) is the only football organisation in Australia that is a member of the Asian Football Federation (AFC) and the international governing body, Federation International de Football Association (FIFA).

Accordingly, competitions conducted by FFA, its State and Territory Member Federations and their affiliated members, and the only competitions recognised by FFA, AFC and FIFA.

FFA conduct their National Futsal Championships in January of each year with the 2009 Championships hosted by Capital Football in Canberra.

In 2008 FFA has sanctioned the Futsal Club Championships in October, to be hosted by Capital Football and also the Schools Championships in October hosted by Football NSW.

FFA is currently preparing modules for coach and refereeing education and accreditation for presentation to the Australian Sports Commission for their sanction. The subsequent courses conducted by FFA and member State and Territory appointed personnel shall be the only level of accrediation recognised by FFA, AFC and FIFA.

Kindest Regards

Alan J Vessey
Manager
Football Services
11 September 2008

The original PDF can be found here

Source : Football NSW
Published : 16/9/2008

The FFA has announced that the 2008 National Schools Futsal Championships will be held in Sydney this year. As the Championships were not contested last year, we are very pleased to see the competition being held in 2008.

The competition will be held at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre, Herbert St, Cambridge Park

The competition will be a two day event, commencing on Monday September 29th and finishing on Tuesday 30th September.

Boys and Girls will compete in 7 age groups over the two days with the age groups consisting of 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s and 19s

Football NSW would like to wish all schools and officials attending the Nationals the best of luck throughout the competition.

Source : Football NSW
Published : 16/9/2008

Further to the appointment of our coaching staff for the 08 – 09 Football NSW Futsal Super League we are pleased to annouce the establishment of the Sutherland Shire Futsal Association high performance unit (HPU).

The SSFA HPU will be a feeder group of talented players in Futsal in the ages of under 9s, 10s and 11s boys and girls. The Association is very pleased to coordinate this development program under the guidance of Jim Apostolovski our junior development squad head coach.

Each of the development squads involved in the HPU will participate in various Futsal events over the next few months as well as play in our local competitions.

The first will see a select group of players play in the Central Coast Mariners gala day set to kick off on the 28th September 2008 at Parklea. The team will be anouced soon.

The players from the SSFA HPU will also play in the Football NSW State Futsal Championships in under 9s, 10s and 11s. This year will see some players earn a chance to represent NSW from the Sutherland Shire.

To get involved in the SSFA HPU you will need to play in a local competition and attend local futsal coaching clincs provided by the Sutherland Shire Futsal Association at Endeavour Sports High School

September 2008 at Endeavour High School. Boys and girls 6s, 7s and 8s from 10am – 11am and 9s, 10s and 11s from 11am – 12noon. Costs $100.00 per a player over a 10 week program.

SSFA HPU players will train Sundays from 12 noon – 1pm at Endeavour Sport HS.

To secure your place in the coaching clinic and or for more information about the Futsal HPU and coaching clinics contact Jonathan Simnett 0417 042 145 or email president@shirefutsal.com.au

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal
Published : 15/9/2008