SBS has a W-League feature in the Video section of their Website. It mentions Futsal as an important component in the development of Female Players.

Futsal players from NSW are featured such as Stephanie Haim, Natasha Lo Giudice, Kyah Simon and the incredible Natalie Spirovski. Comments from Sydney Magic Womens Coach Matteo Maiorana also feature.

Source : The World Game (SBS)
Published : 19/10/2008
Thanks : Anthony Grima

Brazil have regained their crown as world champions of futsal. It went to penalties in the final against Spain, but even if the result had gone the other way the tournament would still have been a triumph for Brazil – the squads of some of the other leading nations were full of naturalised Brazilians. There is no doubt that Brazil is the leading country of futsal.

Some go further – much further. They argue that futsal is the great Brazilian secret. Here I am not quite so sure.

The most interesting debates on The World Game forum are usually those about youth development. Many of those taking part approach the subject with dedication, experience and curiosity. It is not a specialist area for me, so my words are somewhat tentative, intended primarily as a contribution to the debate.

But when the topic is Brazilian football, I feel I have spent enough time trying to make sense of it to have the right to an opinion – and for all the positive virtues of futsal, I feel its importance can easily be overstated.
I am always sceptical when listening to someone going on about how futsal is the great Brazilian secret. Sometimes I hear the salesman’s pitch. Other times I hear the voice of the enchanted tourist, the kind of person who has a brief contact with the country, sees that they play a lot of futsal, and jumps to the conclusion that this is why Brazil has won all those World Cups.

The problem with this view is that it is superficial and ahistorical.

Why does Brazil produce so many great players? In part, for the same reason that Australia is such a production line of wonderful cricketers. It is part of the cultural tradition. One generation inspires and sets the standard for the next.

Football in South America was introduced by the British, and came laden with First World prestige. It was then re-interpreted by the locals, the hard running muscular Christianity of the English approach giving way to a more sinuous, balletic game, ideal for the guy with the low centre of gravity. This re-interpretation led to international triumphs and recognition for a region starved of both.

And furthermore, all this took place in a time of rapid urbanisation, with immigrants pouring in from Europe and Lebanon. Football gave the people of these new countries a meeting place and a common identity.

It happened first in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In more feudal Brazil it took a little longer for the game to belong to the people. But it got there soon enough, and once it did, with its huge size and growing population, Brazil became a world reference point for their prowess at the game – and the game became vital to the country’s sense of self-worth.

And so Leonidas inspired Zizinho, who inspired Pele, who inspired Zico, who inspired Ronaldo, who inspired Alexandre Pato, and so the dance goes on.

The important thing to remember is that this tradition was established long before the rise of futsal. And more than anywhere else, it was established in the streets and on the wastelands where boys honed their skills in endless games.

The great Rivelino, who starred for Brazil, Corinthians and Fluminense in the 60s and 70s, chose an interesting title for his autobiography – “Get out of the street, Roberto.” It was what his mother was always shouting at him when he was a kid growing up in Sao Paulo. Rivelino is very happy that he didn’t take her advice. The street formed him, he says, both as a footballer and as a man.

A few years back I spent some hours with him at his football school in his native city. There are futsal pitches there. Rivelino was honest about what he was trying to achieve. He wasn’t teaching anyone to play football, he told me. That was best done spontaneously, out in the street, the way he had done it. But for all the technological progress, today’s generation lacked the same opportunities.

All he was doing was providing a space where the kids could play, spend time in a healthy and productive manner and hopefully turn into better people as a result.

The sad fact is that, though old fashioned street and wasteland football can still be found in big city Brazil, it has come under sustained attack from two angles.

First, there is urban expansion and real estate speculation eating up the areas where previous generations used to play. Then there is the socially corrosive effect of violence and crime.

The crime problem in Brazil is often depicted as one of poor against rich, the have nots attacking the haves. In reality it is much more complicated; very often it is the poor working class who are the victims of underclass violence, mugged on busses or in dark streets as they make their way home after a day’s labour. Fear eats into the social fabric, and keeps people inside.

So more than anything else, futsal in Brazil is a response to these developments. It gets the kids indoors into a safe, regulated environment. It is a substitute for the real thing, rather than the real thing itself.
That is not to say that it doesn’t have virtues. Small-sided games are clearly a vital part of player development. Plenty of contact with the ball is fundamental for technique and confidence, the reduced space is terrific for one against one situations, and so on.

But you can do that playing five against five on half the normal pitch. It doesn’t necessarily have to be futsal. Sometimes it seems that because the word ‘futsal’ has become mixed up with the magic of Brazil, it has taken on powerful qualities all of its own.

There really is no great mystery to the fact that Brazil produces so many players. In addition to the cultural tradition explanation, we can also throw in some hard economics.

The potential rewards from the game have rocketed – which obviously attracts more people to a career in football.
Thirty years ago an upper middle class kid with a strong work ethic such as Kaka would almost certainly have followed in his father’s footsteps as an engineer rather than take the risk of playing football. And at the other end of the social scale, unemployment is rife and millions have jobs that pay scandalously little – so why not follow the dream?

And with the globalisation of the game, some investors have realised that there is money to be made from producing players.

Lots of little clubs have been set up all over Brazil in recent years. They compete at youth level only, have top facilities but are not trying to win titles or attract supporters. They are hoping to groom players to be sold to Europe. Promising players – like coffee – are a commodity to be sold to the First World.
This is taking place on an industrial scale like never before.

An immensely strong cultural tradition, a huge population, millions willing to take the risk of becoming players, others with money prepared to invest in them – it’s no wonder that Brazil is a conveyor belt of footballing talent.

Trying to attribute the success of this process to futsal seems to me to be hopelessly naïve.

But as I said at the top, others will have different perspective and more knowledge about youth development. I’d love to know your thoughts.

Over to you!

Source : The World Game (SBS)
By : Tim Vickery
Published : 24/10/2008
Thanks : Anthony Grima

Junior Futsal kicked off on Thursday night with 130 registered players enjoying getting back into indoor soccer at Young PCYC.

Futsal organiser Jim Glasheen said that the first night back was a huge success.”There are a lot of players stepping straight in from junior soccer and a huge influx of kids that play other sports in the Winter,” Glasheen said.

“The first night back went off really well, with a lot of interest in some very exciting games.

“The games were amazingly fast with a lot of the players back again from last year and jumping right into the swing of things.

“The skill level, right from the first game is several notches up from last year and it is great to see so many kids coming into the competition already very fit.

“There were some games with 17 or 18 goals which shows just how fast paced it can get,” Glasheen said.

“Everyone had a ball, and the great sportsmanship demonstrated on the court is really good to see.

“Because the games are so social and so fast, the kids really do enjoy it, win, lose or (rarely) draw,” Glasheen added.

The Junior competition is split into five divisions from under 8s through to under 16s.

The indoor soccer game is played in two 12 minute halves for ages six through to 12 and 14 minute halves in the u14s and u16s.

There are 17 teams registered at present, each with between five and eight players.

“There were several six year olds having a real go and learning sport and co-ordination skills for life,” Glasheen said.

All the games are refereed with a couple of trained Futsal coaches in Young and many more generous volunteers.

“We are always looking for more volunteers, and anyone that gets involved has a lot of fun watching the game themselves.”

There is also strong interest in the Senior Futsal competition which should kick off in two weeks time.

“We had another surge of registrations on Thursday night following the junior games and we are going to expand the draw again,” Glasheen said.

Source : The Young Witness
By : Campbell Walker
Published : 27/10/2008

PSV Marrickville, who play in the Glebe PCYC u10/11s comp, are offering any interested u/10, U/11 or U/12 teams a friendly match. Venue and time would be Marrickville PCYC between 6 and 7pm on a Thursday.

Anyone interested please call David on 0402 016 034.

** 27/10/2008 4:50pm : The results of the State Championships have now been published. You can view them in full via the PDF here **

Quick Results :

9 Boys : Sutherland 2 Dream Team 1
10 Boys : Golden Boot 6 Eagles 2
11 Boys : Sydney Benfica 9 Sydney Uni 1
12 Boys : Mascot Vipers 3 Sydney Magic 2
13 Boys : Mascot Vipers 4 Sydney Tigers 1
14 Boys : Quake 4 Mascot 1
15 Boys : Sydney Magic 6 Warriors 2
16 Boys : Botany Bay Pirates 4 Crusaders 2
Youth Men : Plumpton Allstars 5 Quake 4
Men : Eagles 8 Inner West Allstars 0

12 Girls : Mascot Vipers 3 Breakers 1
14 Girls : Inner West Allstars 5 Commodores 4
16 Girls : Inner West Allstars 5 Eagles 4
Women : Mascot Vipers 4 Sydney Magic 2

————————

Please be advised that due to the large number of teams entered in the State Championships the under 12 and 14 Girls will now be playing at PENRITH this weekend and not Hawkesbury as previously stated on the flyer.

The under 15 Boys will now be playing at HAWKESBURY as part of the 16 Boys groups and not at Penrith as advised. Note: The 15 Boys will play their own semi final and final series.

Please see attachment below for the Penrith Draw which consists of Boys 9,10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 Girls 12 and 14s

Also please find attahed the draw for Hawkesbury which consists of All Age Men/Women, Youth Men, 14/15, 16 Boys and 16 Girls

Football NSW wishes Players and Officals best of luck at the 2008 State Futsal Championships.

Penrith Draw (PDF)
Hawkesbury Draw (PDF)

Source : Football NSW
Published : 23/10/2008

Name	Fernando Jorge Lima De Moraes
Date of Birth	21/1/1980 in Sao Paulo Brazil
State/Country you play Futsal in	VIC Australia
Preferred on field position	Attacking Flanker
Current Team/Club you play for	Vic Vipers FC (Melbourne)
Previous Teams	AD Alcan (Brazil), SC Corinthians Paulista (Brazil)
Hardest Futsal opponent	Tiago Goal Keeper from Brazilian Futsal National Team
Favourite Team	Sao Paulo FC (Brazil)
Favourite Sportsperson	Kaka (Sao Paulo FC, AC Milan)
Most Memorable Futsal moment on or off the court	Representing Australia in the National Futsal Team. Australia 3x3 Argentina KL 5`s Futsal Tournament 2008
Which coach would you say influenced you the most in Futsal and at what age?	My Father

Come and join the only Football Federation Australia and Football Queensland sanctioned Futsal competitions in Brisbane.

* Extend your football season and join Futsal with your current team under your favoured Clubs name and banner (subject to clubs approval).
* Sharpen up those skills and keep up your fitness with the fast paced action of Futsal and be part of the fun and excitement!
* The opportunity for you to trial for State Teams!!! (To be held in October)

WHO CAN PLAY?
* Age groups from U/8s through to U/17s, Youth U/19’s, Men and Ladies.

WHERE?
Canterbury College, Waterford West
Anglican Church Grammar, (Churchie), East Brisbane

WHEN?
Season commences Wednesday 12th November 2008 at Canterbury College and Friday 14th November 2008 at Churchie.
Registrations close 10 November.

COST?
$175.00 per player – Minimum 8 players per team.
An easy “one off” registration fee that covers all expenses including registration, insurance
and match fees. No more searching for notes or loose change on the day!

Call us direct to register your team today or for further details : Marcelo Maciel – 0407 144 840

The Offical Flyer is available here.

Source : Football Queensland Futsal
By : Marcelo Maciel

Sutherland Shire Futsal have released a three reports from the NSW State Championships Day 1. They are listed below newest ones first…

More Results Day 1 State Futsal Championships

The Under 16s Boys, Youth Men, All Age Men and Women had mixed results in the games they played at Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Stadium at Windsor.

Under 16s Boys; Game 1 Sutherland 5 vs. Lithgow FC 2, Game 2 Sutherland 2 vs. Mascot Vipers 5, Game 3 Sutherland 1 vs. Da Boyz 8.

Under 19s Youth Men; Game 1 Sutherland 1 vs. Sydney Magic PCYC 14, Game 2 Sutherland 3 vs. Sydney Uni 6, Game 3 Sutherland 3 vs. Maccabi 5, Game 4 Sutherland 0 vs. Plumpton Allstars 29.

All Age Women; Game 1 Sutherland 2 vs. Benfica 3, Game 2 Sutherland 2 vs. Sydney City 8, Game 3 Sutherland 0 vs. Inner West Allstars 14.

All Age Mens; Sutherland 4 vs. Parramatta Blues 2, Game 2 Sutherland 2 vs. Hawkesbury Commodores 2.

Good luck to the Sutherland All Age Mens Futsal team whom have qualified for the next phase of the tournament to be played on Sunday 26th October 2008 at Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Stadium.

Thanks also to our under 16s Boys, Youth Mens and All Age Womes team for participating and taking the opportunity of the experience this tournament has given each team.

Under 10s Sutherland Day 1 results State Futsal Championships

The under 10s pool of players from all teams have been voted the best and most talented of the tournament. Amazing Futsal has been displayed by all the teams in the competition with some very close results that could of gone either way.

Our talented Sutherland under 10s Boys were positioned in the toughest group. Results from day 1 are shown below;

Game 1, Sutherland 2 vs. Sydney City 3

Game 2, Sutherland 3 vs. Euro 1

Game 3, Sutherland 2 vs. Golden Boot 3

Game 4 to be played Sunday and we are confident of a quarter final birth.

Good luck to the boys and coaching staff. Thanks to the parents for following and supporting the boys.

Under 9s Sutherland Day 1 results State Futsal Championships

Fabulous tournament for the red hot under 9s from Sutherland whom are rated as the best team at State Titles thus far.

Game 1, Sutherland 6 vs. Central Coast 1

Game 2, Sutherland 10 vs. Team Special 0

Game 3, Sutherland 10 vs. Wildcats 0

Game 4, Sutherland 3 vs. Glory 1

Head Coach of junior Futsal development Jim Apostolovski rates this team as the best well balanced side this year.

Keep up the good work boys and good luck for the quarters. We trust we will see you in semis and final to be played Sunday 26th October 2008 at Penrith Indoor Sports Stadium.

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal
By : J Simnett
Published : 25/10/2008

The Sutherland Shire Futsal Association Incorporated is pleased to annouce the creation of the Western NSW Futsal Association Incorporated.

The WNSW Futsal Association based in Lithgow has been established in order to ensure that Country NSW players have the same opportunities and those in the City.

For the first time players in under 13s and 15s Boys from the Lithgow region will participate in the 2008 Football NSW State Futsal Championships.

The weekend started off well for the under 15s boys as they played a trial game this evening at Endeavour Sports High School against the Sutherland Shire under 14s Super League team and beat them 5 – 4.

The Under 13s Boys team is selected as follows; Joshua Boyling, Bryce Chapman, George Chard, Kyle Collier, Rodney Cormack, Sam Gilbert, Nelson McGee. Coach David May

The Under 15s Boys team is selected as follows; Ben Sheehan, Keagan Craig, Chris Evans, Tom Clough, Jack Clough, Ben Cooper, Nick Young, Hayden Ticehurst. Coach Candace Lim

Good luck to both teams we are very proud of your efforts so far. Thanks also to Candace Lim for getting the ball rolling. 2009 Football NSW Futsal Super League here we come.

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal
By : J Simnett
Published : 24/10/2008

The weekend 25th & 26th October 2008 will see 9 representative teams “involving select players” from the Sutherland Shire participate in the 2008 Football NSW State Futsal Championships at Penrith and Windsor.

Our under 9s and 10s boys teams will kick off the day bright and early 8am at Penrith Indoor Sports Stadium. Also at Penrith our under 12 boys, 14 boys and under 13s girls playing in the 14 girls competition.

Our under 16s boys, Youth Men, All Age Men and Women will play at Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Stadium, Stewart Street, Windsor. Thanks to our under 16s girls team for backing up to play in the All Age Womens team.

Live updates of results from each match will be available over the course of the weekend so stay tuned.

Good luck to all teams and go Sutho….

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal
By : J Simnett
Published : 24/10/2008