Former referee Suresh Behari is angry with the Fiji Football Association claiming it is neglecting development of futsal soccer.

Behari is Fiji’s first futsal referee and says there is lack of development of the sport.

He said lack of support clearly reflected on the national team’s poor outing in last year’s Oceania World Cup qualifier won by the Solomon Islands.

The former FIFA badge holder is fuming because he says Fiji FA has refused to provide him with special futsal balls to develop the sport in Caubati where he resides.

“There are a lot of interested youths and I requested in writing for Fiji FA to provide us with two balls but the response from chief executive Bob Kumar is just unacceptable,” he said.

“Bob replied immediately saying if Fiji FA started giving balls to everyone then others will start asking for it as well.’”

Such a response according to Behari is unacceptable.

“Bob didn’t even bother to discuss it with the futsal committee or the board of control and denied us straightway.

“He didn’t bother to recommend us to a development officer who could visit us.

“If Bob has this kind of attitude then he should just step down. Clearly, he is not helping.”

Behari in 2007 attended a futsal course where participants were told by the instructor from United States to take the game to their respective communities.

“The instructor told us, anytime you guys need balls get it from Fiji FA. I was there and he gave a lot of futsal balls for development.”

“At least they should provide us with resources but I don’t think Fiji FA is interested in futsal development.”

Behari’s son Amitesh refereed in the futsal World Cup last September and his sons Ravitesh, Kavitesh and Pravitesh are referees as well.

“All we can do is development work in our area,” he said.

He retired in 2002. Behari officiated in the 1999 Confederation Cup and the under-17 World Cup in Egypt in 1997.

Kumar yesterday advised youths of Caubati to attend futsal clinics organised by Fiji FA.

“We can’t give balls to individuals.” He clarified later, it was agreed to give soccer balls to the Beharis but Behari said it was not true.

Source : The Fiji Times Online
By : Amit Raj
Published : 11/1/2009

A big thanks to Capital Football and Dan Kennedy for supplying the first lot of pics from the Nationals. Hopefully more to come soon.

Click on the pics to get to the bigger versions…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Source : Capital Football

11 Girls : NSW Thunder 3-1 winners over ACT Cobras
11 Boys : Victoria 9-4 winners over NSW Thunder
12 Girls : NSW Thunder 7-2 winners over NSW Lightning
12 Boys : NSW Thunder winners over Victoria. 3-3 Fulltime, NSW win on Penalties.
13 Girls : NSW Thunder 6-1 winners over ACT Cobras
13 Boys : Queensland 5-4 winners over Victoria
14 Girls : NSW Thunder 6-0 winner over ACT Cobras
14 Boys : NSW Thunder 3-1 winners over Victoria
15 Girls : NSW Lightning 2-1 winners over NSW Thunder
15 Boys : NSW Thunder 9-2 winners over Victoria
16 Girls : NSW Thunder 5-3 winners over NSW Lightning
16 Boys : NSW Thunder 6-2 winners over ACT Cobras
Youth Women : NSW Lightning 2-0 winners over Southern NSW
Youth Men : NSW Thunder 4-3 winners over NSW Lightning
Open Women : NSW Thunder 1-0 winners over NSW Lightning
Open Men : NSW Thunder 2-1 winners over ACT Cobras

NSW comes away with 14 teams crowned as National Champions. Victoria and Queensland have one National Champion team each.

The Under 11s Football NSW Futsal team done themselves and each of their Futsal Clubs proud at the recently completed 2009 FFA National Futsal Championships.

The NSW lighting team won 5 games and narrowly lost 2 extremely close games. The team spirit, sportsmanship & togetherness was a huge talking point throughout the tournament, which was lead by Head Coach Jim Apostolovski.

NSW 11s Lightning Team made it throught to the semi final and faced NSW Thunder. Pre match hype was electric with both teams so focused on the job ahead and the prize at stake (playing in the final). The cheering and chanting from both teams was as if it was the grand final of the Futsal World Cup. Absolutely amazing atmosphere.

Head coach Jim Apostolovski had a game plan and throughout the tournament ensured team briefings were focused on results and key objectives set out for each player and as a team, also team debriefings focused on positives and areas of improvement. The mental toughness that was entrenched in the boys was amazing, considering they were 11 year olds.

The game was neck and neck to the last 23 seconds of the game when Capitan Michael T. from Lightning was brought down from a clash but the referee awarded the free kick to Thunder, with only 23 seconds to go Huyga lined up and the stands were erupting. He lined up and slotted the ball pin point into the net. Whistle blows and Lightning go down in a epic match. Final score 4-3.

Well done to each player from the Thunder and Lightning Team. Lightning team included Michael, James, Daniel, Justin, Daniel, Cameron, Dom, Dimitri, Petros, Liam.

Well done to each of the players coming from leading Futsal Premier and Super League Clubs that included Sutherland, Benfica, Quake and Magic.

Representing FNSW Futsal and Sutherland Shire Futsal Association with pride was Head Coach Jim Apostolovski (Sutherland), also assisting in team logistics, strategies & management were Lee Pepper (Sutherland) Michael Belle (Sutherland) Jan Brechenridge (Magic).

At the teams last debriefing head coach Jim, acknowledged and thanked all participating teams whom showed great sportsmanship, that included ACT, VIC, QLD, Sth NSW, Nth NSW. Also the fantastic referees and the hosts at Capital Football for a sound and well run national tournament. He also thanked the parents for the EXCELLENT week and great laughs & fun they had. Many parents also echoed that this Coach Jim Apostolovski brought and entrenched a new level of focus, mental toughness, and fantastic new set pieces and drills which they will take back to their local clubs. They also stated that Sutherland Shire are extremely lucky to have Jim in their association includes Football NSW.

As president of SSFA, I totally agree. Well done to all. FUTSAL IS THE WINNER

Source : Sutherland Shire Futsal
By : J Simnett
Published : 9/1/2009

Finalists for tomorrow’s Grand Finals at the 2009 FFA National Futsal Championships have been decided following semi finals this evening with NSW to contest 15 of the 16 deciders including the showcase Men’s Open final against the ACT Cobras.

In a Grand Final rematch from last year, the NSW Thunder will get their opportunity to make amends for last year’s defeat after progressing through to the decider with a 4-1 victory over the ACT Colts in the semi finals.

While the score line was a little one sided, the Colts were delighted to take part in the finals race after drawing the ACT Cobras 3-3 with their best performance at the Nationals in their final game of the round robin stage.

In the other semi final, the ACT Cobras made amends with a 4-0 win over the NSW Lightning courtesy of a brace from Pat Ross Magee annd singles from Mathew Menser and Tony Aleksovski.

NSW have been guaranteed to collect the national title in the Open Women’s competition when the all NSW affairs kicks off at 4:00pm tomorrow afternoon.The NSW Thunder progressed through to the Grand Final with a 2-0 victory over Victoria with goals from Elyce Goss and Natalie Spirovski sealing the finals berth.

It wasn’t so easy in the other semi final when little could separate the ACT Cobras and NSW Lightning except for penalties. With scores level 1-1 at the conclusion of full time, neither side could find the back of the net in extra time so dot shots had to decide the outcome of the match which went in the favour of the Lightning.

NSW can be assured of at least five national titles, including the Open Women, with the Thunder and Lightning to contest the Under-12 Girls, Under-15 Girls, Under-16 Girls, Youth Men and Open Women.

The ACT will be competing in the second most finals with the host territory competing in five finals in Under-11 Girls, Under-13 Girls, Under-14 Girls, Under-16 Boys and Open Men.

Victoria will line up in four deciders in the Under-11 Boys, Under-12 Boys, Under-14 Boys and Under-15 Boys while both Southern NSW and Queensland will compete for one national title in the Youth Women and Under-13 Boys respectively.

For a complete finals draw visit the 2009 FFA National Futsal Championships website at www.futsalnationals.com.au

Source : Futsal Nationals Website
Published : 10/1/2009

Our Futsal under-14 team continue their winning streak in the Australian National Futsal Championship in Canberra.

They thrashed Queensland State team 26-0 Thursday. Head of delegation Nathaniel Seru said the boys scored 18 goals in the first half and added another 8 in the second spell.

“The scoring spree had drove the supporters and the crowds really crazy for our boys,” Seru said in an email.

The win means the boys have kept a clean sheet in the tournament, winning all their three games so far. They beat Northern New South Wales Hornet 3-2 in their opening game and repeated the same scoreline in their second match on Wednesday against ACT Cobras.

Thursday’s goal scorers:
Junior Fa’arodo 4
Jamie Molea 5
Kevin Lio 3
Alex Waimora 7
Steward 2
Solo Vara Kuki 2
Christian Bako 3

Source : Solomon Star
Published : 10/1/2009

Well the rounds are now all complete and the finalists have been decided at the 2009 FFA Nationals. Congratulations to all teams who have made it this far. The list of finalists playing on Saturday the 10th are as follows…

11 Boys : NSW Thunder vs Victoria
11 Girls : ACT Cobras vs NSW Thunder
12 Boys : NSW Thunder vs Victoria
12 Girls : NSW Thunder vs NSW Lightning
13 Boys : Victoria vs Queensland
13 Girls : ACT Cobras vs NSW Thunder
14 Boys : NSW Thunder vs Victoria
14 Girls : NSW Thunder vs ACT Cobras
15 Boys : NSW Thunder vs Victoria
15 Girls : NSW Lightning vs NSW Thunder
16 Boys : NSW Thunder vs ACT Cobras
16 Girls : NSW Thunder vs NSW Lightning
Youth Men : NSW Lightning vs NSW Thunder
Youth Women : NSW Lightning vs Southern NSW
Open Men : NSW Thunder vs ACT Cobras
Open Women : NSW Thunder vs NSW Lightning

State Representation in the Finals :

NSW - 21 out of 32 spots (incl 1 spot for Southern NSW)
VIC – 5 out of 32 spots
ACT – 5 out of 32 spots
QLD – 1 out of 32 spots

We will post the winners tomorrow as they become available…

Futsal4all is proud to have video footage of three full matches the Australia Womens team played at the 2008 AMF Womens World Cup. A big thanks to Jade Banks from Vikings for the DVD Footage.

We have converted each match, condensed them down to just over 700 Megs each and uploaded them to Vimeo. Each game is shown in full, and they are around 1 Hour 15 minutes each. Well worth a watch for some entertaining Futsal under the AMF rules.

These Video have also been added to the Videos page on Futsal4all, and also the original article that was posted announcing the results back in 2008.

AMF Womens World Cup 2008 : Australian Vikings Women vs Italy from Futsal4All on Vimeo.

AMF Womens World Cup 2008 : Australian Vikings Women vs Paraguay from Futsal4All on Vimeo.

AMF Womens World Cup 2008 : Australian Vikings Women vs Catalonia from Futsal4All on Vimeo.

Ryan Shepheard is the latest Australian referee awarded with a FIFA badge – just three years after taking up indoor refereeing.

Shepheard was presented with his badge during the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 FFA National Futsal Championships in Canberra this week, where is one of the top referees at the tournament.

It’s been a meteoric rise to the top for the Futsal Official after only taking up the indoor refereeing three years ago after being convinced by a friend to “give it a go”.

“I’m surprised it came around at this point,” Shepheard said at the nationals.

“I’ve only been in the game for a few years now but it’s certainly an honor to get a FIFA badge at this point.”

“You’ve always got aspirations whether it be Futsal or football but for it to come around so quickly is fortunate but I’ve definitely worked towards it.”

“You want to push yourself as far as you can go, whether that’s refereeing at a FIFA level or just trying to perform well at the nationals.”

“I had a good national’s last year and refereed the final of the Open Men down here which was a great opportunity.”

Refereeing at only his third Futsal National Championships, Shepheard admits there’s a little more added pressure this year with the badge on his chest.

“I think there’s more expectation that when you are officiating that you’re going to get the majority [of decisions] right, you’re always going to make mistakes and there’s no doubt about that but I think it’s just the level of expectation that comes with being a FIFA referee and the matter in which you operate.”

“That’s not just on the court itself but off it as well.”

“Just because you‘ve got a badge there doesn‘t mean you‘re able to cruise your way through a match, it‘s something you continually need to work at and build that respect.”

The 31 year old joins an elite group with only two Australian currently holding a FIFA Futsal badge.

“Chris [Colley] and Scott [Kidson] have been very helpful to me in the years that I have been in Futsal and down here at the Nationals as well.”

“So to be a part of the three in the country and representing Australia is certainly an honor.”

“One of the good things this week [at nationals] has been getting to go to some of the other venues and work with the younger guys as well which in the past few years I’ve been mainly at the AIS and doing games but now having the badge gives me the chance to get around and work with a few guys and help them with their games as well.”

As with many referees, Shepheard hung up his playing boots at a young age to focus on his football officiating, a move which at first was difficult but has now finally paid dividends.

“I stopped at a fairly young age when I decided to concentrate on my refereeing but the last time I did play, I managed to injury myself and put myself out for about twelve months.”

“That was not a great thing to happen when I managed to dislocate a knee and do all sorts of damage and didn’t recover very quickly.”

“At that time I lost twelve months and it was commented at the time, and fair enough to, that if I wanted to take refereeing seriously that maybe I should tuck the playing boots away for a little bit and come back at some point when an injury isn’t going to cost you anything.”

“To get a FIFA badge after only a couple years is a great achievement because a few years ago I was refereeing football but good opportunities have come up and I’ve definitely worked at it putting in a lot of time and effort to improve and a lot of commitment, time away from family and other social events.”

“It’s a big commitment but to get there after the sacrifices I’ve made is satisfying.”

With the FIFA badge now on his chest, last year Men’s Open Grand Final referee, has reassessed his goals for the championships and beyond.

“I think the goal coming down here this year, knowing that I have the FIFA badge, you just want to make sure your performance in each match is up to the standard they expect.”

“I certainly didn’t set myself the goal to referee a certain match, even though there’s three referees down here with FIFA badges, there’s a number of guys that are more than capable of refereeing the tough matches, a hopefully a number looking to push for the badge themselves.”

“My more immediate goals at the moment is to look at your own performance and to listen to the advice that comes from the assessors here at nation also and working on those when you go back to the state competition.”

“Hopefully there will be opportunities that come up in the next twelve months to get an idea of what it’s like and be able to travel internationally and experience that.”

“I think that’s one of the best things about [having the badge], there’s the opportunity to go to another tournament with another referee from Australia would be a real honor where you build up that teamwork and skills then go off together to different tournaments along the way.

Source : Futsal Nationals Website
Published : 9/1/2009

At the conclusion of day three at the FFA National Futsal Championships in Canberra, New South Wales occupy to the top two spots in both the Men’s and Women’s Open competitions with the Thunder and Lightning sitting one and two respectively at the half way stage of the tournament.

Men’s Open

The NSW Thunder extended their lead at the top of the table to five points after collecting maximum points in their three matches today but it wasn’t without a scare from Victoria who conceded a couple late goals after having the favorites on the ropes.

In a NSW derby, the Thunder defeated the Lightning 3-0 in the morning before notching wins number five and six for the tournament over Victoria and Southern NSW respectively while the Lightning followed suit with a 4-2 victory over the ACT Cobras and a 3-2 win over Victoria late on day three.

The ACT Colts recorded three victories from as many attempts as well, accounting for Victoria 4-1, followed by Northern NSW Hornets 6-4 after scores were level 3-3 at half before and finally FC Ferrand 4-1.

The ACT Cobras dropped back to third after suffering their first loss of the competition going down to the NSW Lightning but restored some order this evening courtesy of a 6-2 drubbing of Northern NSW Hornets.

Unfortunately for Queensland, Victoria and FC Ferrand, neither team managed to pick up any points on day three while Northern NSW Hornets and Southern NSW collected one victory each with a 7-1 and 4-1 victories over the Sunshine State respectively.

Women’s Open

The top four has been decided already going into day four with NSW Thunder, NSW Lightning, Victoria and ACT Cobras all securing a semi final berth on day three of the championships.

The ACT Cobras dropped back two places to fourth place on the ladder after only being able to secure two draws on day three with consecutive 1-1 ties with Southern NSW and top of the table NSW Thunder.

The draw was the first time that the Thunder had dropped any points at the 2009 championships after earlier in the day thumping Northern NSW Hawks 7-1. The NSW Thunder lead the competition, two points ahead of the NSW Lightning who, along with Victoria, was the only teams to claim two victories during the day.

Victoria kept their finals aspirations alive with a 3-2 win over the Southern NSW Flames before defeating Southern NSW 2-0.

Western Australia went down to the NSW Lightning 1-0 in the morning session but made amends in the last game of the night with a 3-0 win over the Southern NSW Flames.

While the makeup of the top four has been decided, the positions are still wide open with only three points separating fourth placed ACT Cobras and the NSW Thunder. Unfortunately for Southern NSW, the full complement of points on Day Four would still see them miss out on a spot in the finals.

Source : Futsal Nationals Website
Published : 9/1/2009