The inaugural Vikings National Futsal Titles produced many surprising results & triumphs over the four days, but none larger then the success of the West Australian Open Men’s side.

After causing the upset of the tournament in their semi final by beating the star studded NSW outfit 11-2, the boys from the west eyed off Queensland in the final. Queensland made their way through via a 3-1 victory over Victoria.

Most pundits whom had watched the 4 day event, had picked a NSW v QLD showdown. But primarily due to wear & tear from a massive campaign, the NSW side was well & truly out of contention at half time of the semi, trailing the Sandgroppers 7-1.

So heading into the final, all the question marks where over the Perth based outfit & whether or not they could continue their giant killing performance in the main event.

Throughout the contest WA went toe to toe with the heavy favourites form the north creating equal amounts of opportunities. But in the end, it was the maroons who put an end to the fairytale, come out victors with a 7-4 win.

The Open women’s final was an epic end to end struggle. Featuring the old rivals NSW and QLD the game needed extra time to decide the winner.

In a battle that staged the experience of the QLD side against the youth of the NSW girls, the result has hanging in the balance throughout. Finally a penalty in the dyeing stages of the first half of extra time was awarded to QLD. They made no mistakes with the opportunity presented to them slotting the strike with pin point accuracy. Giving QLD a 3-2 result.

 Both games where witnessed by a very large crowd of supporters made up of mostly younger squad members, who’s tournaments finished at the alternative venues the previous day.

Photos of the event will be posted throughout the week on the Vikings website.

 

Source : Vikings Futsal
Published : 21/1/2009

The Sutherland Shire Futsal Association Incorporated will conduct its 1st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Presentation Friday 20th February 2009.

Where: Administration Building, Harrie Denning Football Centre, Bates Drive, Kareela.

When: Friday 20th February 2009

Time: AGM 6pm – 7pm members and guests only, Annual Presentation 7pm – 8pm, refreshments 8pm – 9pm

To become a member contact Jonathan Simnett 0417 042 145 or email president@shirefutsal.com.au

The Annual Presentation will be attended by each 08 – 09 Sutherland Shire Futsal Super League player, parent and their guests.

The evening will also be attended by our 2008 State Champion under 9s and 10s development squads.

Source : Sutherland Shire
By : J Simnett
Published : 21/1/2009

Some may say that Doris Osman was born to play soccer that it’s in the family genes.

Her father Erkin represented Australia in indoor soccer from 1983-94, including four world cup appearances.

In a sport predominantly played with the feet, it isn’t a bad thing for his 14-year-old daughter to be following in his footsteps.

The girl from Bonnyrigg Heights is leaving her own mark on the sport, especially after her golden performance at the recent National Futsal Championships at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

The Cecil Hills High School student left the championships with three major accomplishments to her name. She scored three goals and helped guide the NSW under-14 team to its first ever championship with a convincing 6-0 win over the ACT in the final.

“It was good to win this year because last year we finished second after losing the grand final,” Doris said.

Her brilliant display in the final led to her second accomplishment of the tournament; winning the most valuable player of the final award.

But if you were to measure the potential and ability of this rising star, it would be by her final achievement.

Doris was voted the most valuable player of the championship by opposition coaches, outclassing players from across Australia to win the prestigious award. “I couldn’t believe it when they called my name out as the most valuable player,” Doris said.

“I was shocked but really happy at the same time.”

Despite her love for the indoor version of the game, Doris is hoping to leave her mark on grass in years to come.

The Marconi junior has her sights set on the newly formed W-League and a contract with the sky blue of Sydney FC.

Source : Fairfield City Champion
By : Michael Chammas
Published : 21/1/2009

Solomon Islands’ participation at the recent U-14 futsal championship in Australia have signaled a wake up call for Fiji.

This was when Fiji are preparing to host the Oceania Under 17 World Cup qualifier in April. Rewa vice president Abdul Shah told Fiji Times that New Zealand and Solomon Islands have already started their preparation.

“New Zealand already has a squad and is playing build-up games against tougher opponents but in Fiji we are still trying to hold trials in different districts.

“This shows how badly we lack planning. If we are serious about qualifying then at least a shadow squad should have been named last year and by now the players should have attended a few training camps. The progress made by New Zealand and Solomon Islands is a wake-up call for Fiji FA officials to resign because they are just sleeping on the job,” Shah said.

The New Zealand U-17 side recently lost 1-0 and 3-0 to Chile U-18 as coach Steve Cain works on perfecting a fearsome combination for the qualifiers.

The Junior All Whites will have the services of two UK-based academy players in Cameron Lindsay (Blackburn Rovers) and Andrew Milne (Glasgow Rangers).

Since 1983, the Fiji U-17 has only played the final of the Oceania qualifiers in 1999 while gleefully making up numbers in the other 11 qualifiers.

The Solomon Islands national U-14 futsal team recently featured in the 30th Australian National Futsal Championship in Canberra, competing against Australian state opponents.

They bowed out from the championship after losing to New South Wales Thunder 5-4 in the semifinals.

Solomon Islands last year humiliated Fiji in round robin play to win the Oceania Futsal qualifiers for a historical appearance in the FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Source : Solomon Star
Published : 21/1/2009

Name	Luke Pereira
Nickname	Lukeey
Date of Birth	18.07.1997
State/Country you play Futsal in	NSW Australia
What got you started in Futsal?	An old outdoor soccer coach recommended it
What age did you start playing?	9
Preferred on field position	Target, Flanker
Current Team/Club you play for	Campbelltown City Quake U/12s
Hardest Futsal opponent	NSW Thunder U/11s 2008
Favourite Meal	Ugali (Polenta mixed with semolina)
Favourite Hobby	Riding the billy-kart that Dad and I built
Favourite Team	Liverpool, My team
Favourite Sportsperson	Zenidine Zidane
Favourite Music	Anything that gets me pumped for a game especially AC/DC, Queen, Flo-rida, Nelly, Ludacris, Dizzee rascal, Akon, Rhianna, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, MGMT
Most Memorable Futsal moment on or off the court	Scoring a cracking equalizer and then a great winner to win my weekly futsal comp Grand Final.
Which coach would you say influenced you the most in Futsal and at what age?	Lorenzo D’addona, 10 years old (2008)
What was the best tip you’ve ever been taught in Futsal?	Attack is the best form of defence
What goals do you still want to achieve in Futsal?	Keep on playing the game I love
List 3 people you would love to have over for dinner	Nelson Mandela, Zico, Albert Einstein, and anyone else who wants to come along, or anyone else who is willing to eat my food.

Sydney Benfica FC would like to congratulate Sherel Alpkaya, Jessica Beale and Vanessa Lee on their success at the recent FFA National Championships held in the ACT.

They defeated their more fancied rivals and fellow state members, NSW Thunder. These two great teams met in the group phase and then in the final with NSW Lightning winning both games.

The Final was a tight affair with the girls prevailing 2-1 over NSW Thunder.

Well done to all the Lightning girls and their coach Alex Rossi.

 

Click the pics below for bigger versions…

Source : Sydney Benfica FC
Published : 20/1/2009

Southern NSW handled the Metro NSW Thunder, but were shocked by the Lightning in the youth women’s final of the recent Australian Futsal titles in the ACT.

The Southern NSW team – essentially players from the Illawarra Taipans Super League side – were gallant in a 2-0 loss to Metro Lightning in the final.

Southern NSW hit the crossbar twice early in the first half of the final, but it was the Sydneysiders who drew first blood four minutes before the break.

NSW Metro doubled their lead through a well-constructed free kick and held their two-goal advantage until the final whistle.

Earlier, Southern NSW ousted Metro NSW Thunder 3-1 in the semi-final.

Metro NSW is divided into Thunder and Lightning teams for state and national titles.

Meantime, Southern NSW’s youth men and under 15 girls’ sides bowed out in the semi-finals.

The youth men, led by Taipans coach Brod Crighton, lost 4-3 to eventual champions NSW Metro Thunder.

Southern NSW’s under 15 girls, under the guidance of Taipans coach April Van Woerkom, lost 3-2 in extra-time to NSW Metro Lightning 3-2.

Ann Mayo was named under 15s player of the tournament, Tiarn Powell the youth women’s player of the year and was equal leading goal scorer with Caitlin Danyi.

Source : Illawarra Mercury
By : Joel Ritchie
Published : 20/1/2009

Registration for the second season of the Women’s Indoor Futsal League has opened and register anytime! Cook and Phillip is starting the second season of the Women’s only indoor soccer league, that runs on Friday evenings from 7pm. Register as either an individual or as a team! Season starts NOW!!

As usual please pass this message on to any women out there who want to play!

YOU CAN REGISTER ANYTIME!!

Sign up at the front desk of Cook and Phillip (4 College St Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: 02 9326 0444). No ID required to register), pay the $60 registration fee and you will be placed on a team! If you have a whole team to register, follow the same process and hand in your team registration form available at Cook and Phillip front desk. When you register ensure you provide your email address and phone number!

League Games Start at 7pm!!! Scheduled every 30 minutes.

The League:
Will run for approximately 13 weeks, including playoffs. Late registration is welcome as players/teams can be added to the roster throughout the season.

The Games:
Played between 7pm and 10pm on Friday at Cook and Philip, starting Jan16th.
Games are 30 minutes each, 5-a-side.

The Equipment:
You will need non-marking soled shoes as we play on a wood court. Shin pads highly recommended though not necessary.

Any other information can be found on the Cook and Philip website, or contact Tori!

Tori Wapiti
League Administrator
Ph: 9326 0444 [work]
or 0428 280 296 [mobile]
email: toriana.wipiti@ymca.org.au
http://www.ymcasydney.org/cookandphillip.php

And finally, if you know of ANY ladies that are interested in football don’t hesitate to let them know about the league!

NSW Thunder took out the Open double (Men’s and Women’s) at the 2009 National Futsal Championship held in Canberra in early January. NSW Thunder won 11 titles, with NSW Lightning 2, Queensland 1 and Victoria 1.

The Men’s Final was a classic encounter, with Thunder only sealing victory with a free-shot 10 seconds from the end of extra time, scored by Qantas Futsalroo Adrian Vizzari.

The goal gave Thunder a 2-1 victory and them a place in the AFC Futsal Champions League.

Earlier, the double sending off of key Thunder players Lachlan Wright and Simon Keith seemed to have handed the initiative to an ACT side looking to claim back-to-back National Futsal Championships. Both Thunder players were dismissed for second bookings, but the Cobras were unable to exploit their numerical advantage despite Tony Aleksovski striking the base of the post and Elia Salloum seeing his one-on-one well blocked by the excellent Peter Spathis in the Thunder goal.

It was NSW Thunder who had the best of the opening half creating numerous opportunities to fire in shots at the Cobras’ goal, only to see them repelled by the safe hands of Konstantinou, but it came as no surprise when they took the lead after eight minutes. Lachlan Wright broke down the left flank and fired a shot that took a slight deflection on its way into the top corner.

The final was a tense affair against two evenly matched teams and Salloum and Keith had a coming together on the edge of the Cobras’ penalty area which resulted in a yellow card for both players.

The momentum swung in ACT Cobras favour in a crazy ten minute spell in the second stanza which saw the two dismissals and a Cobras equaliser.

It was Pat Ross-Magee who levelled the scores after 23 minutes when the fleet-footed youngster collected a wonderful chipped pass from Trent Flanigan and slipped the ball casually past Spathis and into the net.

Shortly afterwards Wright was sent off for collecting a brace of bookings within minutes of each other, the first for a foul and the second for stupidly kicking the ball away to prevent a quick Cobras’ kick-in, and team mate Keith was quick to follow after a challenge on Elliot Zwangobani brought up his second yellow card of the game.

With the man advantage the Cobras strung together a superb passage of football and really tested the Thunder’s mettle, only to be denied by some expert goalkeeping and top defending. Tony Aleksovski, in particular, went close on a number of occasions for the Cobras with the increasingly influential Flanigan the main orchestrator.

With no further goals scored the match entered extra-time, which was a tight and predictably cagey affair with neither side willing to risk conceding the crucial goal.

The Cobras had the chance to win it when Matt Menser stepped up for a free-shot in front of goal, but his well-struck effort was parried to safety. And so it was left to Vizzari to seal on the affair, after being given a free-shot in front of goal, due to a sixth-foul violation. He kept his nerve to fire low into the corner and send the Thunder to Asia.

SQUADS
ACT Cobras: 12. Angelo KONSTANTINOU, 3. Ryan KYRIANOU, 5. Elliot ZWANGOBANI, 6. Ben KLUG, 8. Adrian DOWLING, 9. Elia SALLOUM, 10. Matt WHYTE, 13. Matt MENSER, 16. Trent FLANIGAN, 17. Marcel MUNOZ, 20. Tony ALEKSOVSKI, 21. Pat ROSS-MAGEE

Yellow Cards: Elia SALLOUM, Trent FLANIGAN

NSW Thunder: 2. Peter SPATHIS, 3. Tobias SEETO, 4. Danny MARTINEZ, 5, Simon KEITH, 6. Andrew PAINE, 7. Rhys GIOVENALLI, 8. Andres GOMEZ, 9. Chris ZEBALLOS, 10. Lachlan WRIGHT, 11. Marino MUSUMECI, 21. Roberto MAIORANA, 28. Adrian VIZZARI

Yellow Cards: Simon KEITH (x2), Lachlan WRIGHT (x2)
Sent Off: Simon KEITH, Lachlan WRIGHT

GOALS: 0-1 – Lachlan WRIGHT (NSW Thunder) 8 minutes, 1-1 – Pat ROSS-MAGEE (ACT Cobras) 23 minutes, 1-2 Adrian VIZZARI (NSW Thunder) 49 minutes

[Editors note : The full Mens game can be seen here courtesy of Futsal4all]

 

The Women’s Final was an all-NSW affair, with Thunder coming out on top against Lightning. A solitary goal from Natalie Spirovski settled the cagey contest.

Spirovski struck the crucial blow fourteen minutes into the clash, cutting in from the left to fire a low drive beyond the reach of Lightning goalkeeper Melissa Khoury, who was magnificent in repelling the Thunder’s repeated efforts.

In truth the magnitude of the occasion seemed to stifle the play of both teams as neither line-up put together a fluid, cohesive pattern of play. In fact, the two teams were very evenly matched and despite the Thunder’s favouritism, the Lightning had chances of their own to send the match into extra-time.

Spirovski, who was voted MVP of the Final, had an opportunity to settle the match late on, but her driven right foot shot was well blocked by the Lightning defence. It mattered little to the Thunder players though who were ecstatic at the final whistle as they claimed the 2009 Open Women’s National Championship.

SQUADS
NSW Thunder: 1. Antonella OLIVIA, 2. Elyce GOSS, 3. Claire WALSH, 4. Natalie SPIROVSKI, 5. Fabianna PERFILIO, 6. Hayley BUCKINGHAM, 7. Nicole LAWS, 8. Renee TOMKINS, 9. Brooke COWIE, 10. Caitlin JARVIE, 11. D. BOWERING, 21. Trudy BARTLETT

NSW Lightening: 1. Melissa KHOURY, 2. Chanel TURNER, 3. Kahlee DOYLE, 4. Maryanne MIKHAIL, 5. Amy SARANDSPOULOS, 6. Lauren MOORE, 7. Justine VELLA, 8. Jo-Anne SALIBA, 9. Alexandria SMITH, 10. Rhiannon FLEMING, 11. Effie RODOPOULOS, 21. Tani ROSEKELLY

Goals: 1-0 – Natalie SPIROVSKI (NSW Thunder) 14 minutes

Source : Football Federation Australia
Some spelling mistakes and names fixups edited by Futsal4all
Published : 19/1/2009

Riding high on the success of their first ever National Titles, the rise & rise of Vikings Futsal continues. PCYC NSW has joined forces with Vikings, forging an alliance that will ensure the growth of Futsal across the state.

The partnership gives Vikings access to an additional 60 centres. The alliance casts a net, ranging from Coolangatta in the north, south to Albury and as far west as Broken Hill.

After a number of meetings, the deal was finalised late last week between PCYC NSW CEO Chris Gardiner, NSW Vikings CEO Bob Raso and National Vikings CEO Alistair Miller. The contract allows Vikings to develop and manage the sport throughout the vast PCYC network of NSW.

The opportunities are now endless for Vikings with a potential of up to 24,000 additional players. It also gives all current PCYC players the opportunity to be eligible for all Vikings events which include all State & National Titles and overseas tours.

The partnership is a massive show of support for Vikings and the direction they are taking Futsal, not only in Australasia but all across the globe. It allows the organisation to remain at the forefront of the sports development at all levels.

The program will start almost immediately with audits being conduct on all PCYC sites as early as this week. With a view to commence the roll out by the end of February.

Source : Vikings Northern NSW
Published : 20/1/2009