Sports Star of the Week: Callan Lewis, futsal (NSW)
Callan Lewis selection for the Australian under 16s schoolboys futsal team
It’s not often that a sportsman can gain a place in a national side in just his second year in his chosen field.
But Chatham High School student Callan Lewis has achieved just such a feat following his selection in the Australian under 16s schoolboys futsal team.
The selection follows Lewis’ fine performance while playing for the Northern New South Wales side in a national schools tournament at Albury and will see him travel to Brazil for a series of matches and training opportunities next year.
Lewis is the Manning River Times-Iguana Sports Star of the Week and wins a $50 open order at Iguana.
The 14 year-old was happy with his form at Albury, where his side finished third after scoring four wins and four losses. Lewis was one of the younger competitors at Albury and along with a friend from Port Macquarie, is also the youngest in the Australian squad.
The touring team was put together by the Vikings Futsal Association and will see him travel to the world’s centre of futsal – Brazil – from May 7 to 25 next year. He will be part of the Australian Vikings Dal Ponte Youth Boys side, the association having run a tour each year since 1994.
The first two days in Brazil will be spent in a training camp in the mountains above Rio de Janeiro before attending two high quality training academies.
The squad will spent two nights in Diamantina for an inter-city tournament and watch a training session of the Atletico Futebol Club, where the young Aussies will get to meet the players before attending a National League football game. The tour will end with two nights in Rio.
It will be Lewis’ first time overseas and comes after futsal gave him his first plane trip, flying to Melbourne before catching a bus to Albury for the schoolboy titles.
Lewis was excited to be named in the team and is looking forward to the Brazil trip, saying the level of futsal in that country is particularly strong.
Lewis is playing futsal for just the second year and is a regular at the weekly competition at Taree’s Saxby’s Stadium. He has more experience on the outdoor field, having played at representative level for six years.
With such a rapid rise in the futsal ranks, Lewis will have to reassess his goal in the sport.
“I think I’ve already achieved it,” he smiled.
Chatham High is assisting Lewis with fundraising to cover costs but he is also looking for sponsorship. Anyone who can help should contact Chatham High.
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Callan is now training with NNSW 14s to go to the FFA nationals in canberra & should handle the pace as he has been at Saxby,s stadium Taree.