KUALA LUMPUR: The AFC Futsal Club Championship 2009 has been rescheduled for March 2010 in Isfahan, Iran.

The new dates are March 4-12, 2010. The tournament was due to be held in July 2009 but was postponed because of the political climate at the time in Iran.

The same 10 clubs will be eligible to compete irrespective of their domestic performances in 2009.

The clubs are: New South Wales Thunder (Australia); Wuhan Dilong (China); Foolad Mahan Sepahan (Iran); Newroz Sports Club (Iraq); Nagoya Oceans (Japan); AUB Altyn Tash (Kyrgyzstan); Pro’s Café (Lebanon); Al-Sadd (Qatar); Port Authority Thailand (Thailand); Stroitel Zarafshan (Uzbekistan).

It’s a long way from Invercargill to Helsinki in Finland but that is where Spirit FC footballer Craig Milne will be next month when he competes in the first group stage of the Uefa Futsal Cup.

Scottish import Milne has been in Invercargill this winter playing for the Southland-based side in the Footballsouth premier league. With the season drawing to a close, however, he will head home shortly to link up with his Scottish national league-winning futsal side Fair City Santos.

The club won its local title in the central Scottish city of Perth and then took out the national Futsal League title to earn a berth as Scotland’s representative at the all-Europe tournament.

Milne’s Fair City Santos team will play the national club winners from France, Finland and England in Helsinki during five days next month and, if they win that tournament, will advance to the next stage of the competition against other winners from the continent.

Milne said his team-mates in Scotland were counting down the sleeps until the tournament kicked off. “It’s going to be great. It’s the Champions League of Futsal.”

Futsal is similar to indoor football and played on a wooden or artificial court by teams of five players, including the goalkeeper. The main differences from indoor football are that walls or boards are not used and the ball is slightly smaller.

Milne said the emphasis of the game was on passing and tactical awareness.

“Futsal is more aimed at technique and skill. You can go anywhere on the park, too.”

The Scotsman, who has been playing futsal for about 15 years, said the sport was becoming more popular in his homeland. He has been playing in the local futsal league at Stadium Southland on Monday nights during his time in Invercargill.

Spirit FC have endured a tough season in the Footballsouth premier league this winter but Milne said he had still had a wonderful time in Southland.”I’ve enjoyed it immensely. The results have picked up the last few weeks. There are some good young players coming through.”

Milne intends to play for his Jeanfield Swifts club in the local league back home in Perth and said he was open to returning to New Zealand and Spirit FC again next year.

“I could do if they asked me again,” he said.

The national Kurukuru FUTSAL team captain said his players’ deep understanding of each other and how each individual played was a central factor to the team’s successes.

Elliot Ragomo made the statement at the Kurukuru team’s Thanks Giving Service over the weekend, held to thank God for the team’s recent win at the OFC FUTSAL championship in Fiji.

Mr. Ragomo said most of Kurukuru’s players had played together since they were in the under 12 age category and over the years had developed a deep understanding of each others’ playing styles.

He said the Kurukuru players’ ability to anticipate each others’ moves during matches played a key role in the team’s success at the recent OFC championship.

Reflecting on his team’s performances, the young captain said Kurukuru was a more mature side this year and the team had improved since its first international outings last year.

The young team captain also thanked the team’s parents and the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF), stating that the team could not have achieved as much as they had without their support.

The national Kurukuru team will represent the Oceania region at a world championship in Libya later this year.

5 Star Pink would like to invite all futsal/football lovers into this years EPL Tipping competition.

The entry fee is $5 and can be paid via direct deposit.

All entry fees go direct to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Details below:
Westpac Banking Corporation
Community Fund Raising Bank Account
BSB – 032000
Account No – 304684
Detail – 090039

1st Prize – Ipod Nano 8GB (Courtesy of Sydney Benfica FC)

 

Name: 5 Star Pink – EPL
Password: Benfica

The below URL will take tippers directly to the competition for quick sign up, alternatively tippers can enter the competition by searching on the home page.
http://www.footytips.com.au/jc.cfm?c=155002&P=Benfica

Have a great season!

Lorenzo D’Addona
0414 663 919

www.benfica.com.au

Original Flyer can be found here (PDF)

Futsal (football played indoors with a small, heavy ball) is high-speed football, with spectacular match situations and remarkable creativity. Futsal is a game for quick thinking and technical ingenuity. Apart from its appeal as a discipline in its own right, Futsal has a great value as a grassroots activity for developing players skill and ability.

The Football West Futsal Program is an intensive eight week program which focuses on the technical aspects of the game. The major emphasis of the program is on developing the player’s technique, touch and skills by focusing on ball juggling and individual ball work as well as challenging players with many forms of small sided games.

All players between the age of 6 and 12 years of age are encouraged to attend the futsal program to improve their skills!

Registrations for Term 3 are open now and spaces are filling up quickly.

Loftus Rec
Thursdays 4.15pm – 5.45pm
30th July – 17th September

Arena Joondalup
Fridays 4.15pm – 5.45pm
31st July – 18th September

For more information or to register your child please contact Warren Grieve at warren.grieve@footballwest.com.au or 08 9422 6918 or fill in the registration form below.

Register Online

Registration Form- PDF

Registration Form- Word Doc

In anticipation that Sydney Benfica FC will be successful in its application to participate in the Football NSW 2009/10 Futsal Premier League, the club is looking for exciting and talented futsal players to trial for the following age groups;

Academy, 14 Boys and 12 Girls – Final Trials

Venue: Marrickville PCYC – 531 Illawarra Road, Marrickville NSW 2204.

Benfica Eagles Academy: Saturday 25th July 2009
U10 Boys/Girls 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Womens Trials: Saturday 25th July 2009
U12 Girls 2.00pm – 3.00pm

U14 Girls Goalkeeper required.

* If you are a goalkeeper/player and you are wishing to trial for 12 Girls or 14 Girls, please contact Ian Skeoch on 0407 404 776.

Mens Trials: Sunday 26th July 2009
U14 Boys 11.00am – 12.00pm

* If you are interested in trialing for the Academy and 14 Boys, please contact Lorenzo D’Addona on 0414 663 919.

All players must arrive 20 minutes prior to the commencement of trials.

All Sydney Benfica FC teams will participate in the FNSW State Titles, which will ensure that all players are eligible for selection trials for the Nationals.

For further details email: info@benfica.com.au 
Phone: Lorenzo D’Addona – 0414 663 919

Solomon Island strikers are set to take Fiji soccer by storm with Navua leading the charge to bring in one of the best marksmen in the region, Benjamin Totori.

Navua soccer president Anil Sharma says he would only get in players who will benefit his side and help the soccer standard in the country improve.

Sharma is in the process of wrapping up a deal with Totori, who was a team mate of Fiji’s Roy Krishna at Waitakere United in New Zealand last year.

Sharma’s Navua beat Ba 2-0 in the NewWorld National Football League yesterday as new Solomon Islands import Jack Wetney played a key role.

Wetney, the star from Solomon Islands Futsal, joined Navua earlier this week, while Fiji FACT hero James Naka arrives next month.

Sharma said players Navua brought had paid dividends.

“I only get players who I know will benefit my team and my players,” Sharma said.

“I go personally to look at these players and do not take the opinion of others.

“These players come in and change the way our players play and that is a benefit.”

Fiji Football Association vice president Faiaz Ali said the arrival of the likes of Totori, Naka and Wetney would give the youngsters around them a chance to learn more skills.

The former Rewa president said the recent Oceania Futsal play-offs were an indication of how skilful the Solomon Islanders were.

“With Navua brining in players as these, it helps our players learn a lot,” Ali said.

“While we are physical and have the skills, our players are better quipped to play against these players and learn from them.

“We need to live in a professional manner if we are to see football progress because the only way for this to happen is if we have our players play against the best.”

There has been a lot of talk over the years about import players but Sharma said imports were needed.

“If we bring in good players who help in winning than what is the harm

“Today (yesterday) Jack Wetney showed that,” Sharma said.

“He played an instrumental role in both goals.”

The Kurukuru national futsal team held a solemn thanks giving service on Saturday at the Chung Wah School Hall for their recent successful campaign at the OFC Championship in Fiji.

The service was attended by the Kurukuru team members with their family and friends as well as representatives from the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF).

The service was held to give thanks to God for the team’s achievement of winning the regional tournament for the second time in a row.

Speaking during the service, the SIFF President, Martin Alufurai, thanked the Kurukuru teams’ parents for organizing the service which he said gave all the glory of Kurukuru’s successes back to God.

The SIFF president also acknowledged the hard work the team’s parents and family had to do to ensure that the Kurukuru boys were always ready for their games.

He said it was the hand of God which led the team to victory in the tough OFC Championship and it was important for the team never to forget God in all they did.

He said being the Oceania region’s futsal champion’s, the Kurukuru players had to seek God for the strength and will to hold on to their title, something which he said other teams in the region wanted to take from them.

Mr. Alufurai said the Kurukuru team had a special kind of oneness that he hoped to see in other local teams, a oneness which he said ran down to the team’s spirit and souls.

He said it was that sense of oneness that allowed them to face challenges as a unit and added that the same oneness was what made them win the recent OFC Championship in Fiji.

Kurukuru will represent Solomon Islands at a world championship in Libya in October this year.

The National U15 futsal team released its final team last Friday after the team’s final selection matches.

The team will take part in the Australian National Futsal Championship in Sydney in January next year.

Solomon Islands Sports Coalition’s (SISC) operation manager Danny Belo confirmed to Express Sports that a final U15 national squad of 10 players had been named.

Mr. Belo said the team’s selection process was very difficult as there were a lot of very gifted players who took part in the process.

But he said with the difficult task of selecting a team done, the selected players would now go through 5 months of training to prepare them for the Australian championship.

He said a short meeting with the new players would be held at 3pm today.
The new National U15 team members are:

Junior A Fa’arodo
Steward Haomae
Kevin Lio
Chris Bako
Solo Vara Kuki
Henry Suimae Jr.
Jamie Molea
Alex Waimora
Jayrai Paia
Raphaei Egeta

Football NSW has two new competitions starting in the Liverpool area at the following centres:

THE MICHAEL WENDON CENTRE, Cabramatta Ave, Miller
Tuesday and Wednesday nights

THE WHITLAM CENTRE, Memorial Ave, Liverpool
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights

We have Senior (men and women) and Mixed Competitions available

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS, IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS, AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN!

For more information contact 8814 4464 or Email futsalcomps@footballnsw.com.au