From the 11th – 15th of January 2010, up to 2000 Futsal players, including 188 of Victoria’s elite, will converge upon the nation’s capital to contest the 31st FFA National Futsal Championships.

The FFA National Futsal Championships is by far the biggest National football tournament in Australia, attracting teams from Australian States and Territories and also New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.

Victoria’s Futsal State Representative teams have been selected and after 5 months of preparation, 188 players from across Victoria will don the navy blue jersey in Canberra in male and female categories ranging from 11 years right through to senior divisions.

Football Federation Victoria (FFV) has been determined to provide the right platform for Futsal‘s ongoing development. Our efforts in this direction are further enhanced with our commitment of 18 state teams to the 2010 Championships, meaning that this will be the biggest ever contingent of Victorian teams competing at any form of National Championships.

This year, FFV decided to send two squads to represent Victoria in the Boys Under 11 and Under 12 age categories. A high quality of talent was shown throughout the trial process and FFV felt it was most appropriate for 20 players to represent Victoria at the National Championships, instead of just 10. In addition to this, FFV has also introduced the ‘VIC Magic’ and ‘VIC Rangers’ tags for these teams.

Qantas Futsalroos Camp

FFV was fortunate to have Futsalroos National Coach Steven Knight and Assistant Coach Robert Varela visit Victoria to run an identification camp for Victorian players in the lead up to the National Championships. From here, players would eventually be selected to represent Australia in February’s Asian Championship Qualifiers in Indonesia and potential qualification to the Asian Championships in May.

FFV Melbourne Futsal League (MFL)

The Melbourne Futsal League kicked off back in November with an increase in age divisions from last season’s competition. An introduction of U14, U16 and Open age groups further enhanced the league adding to the established U11 and U12 categories. The league hosts many of the Victorian representative players, providing them with the opportunity to play competitive Futsal and to aid their individual preparation for Nationals. The MFL, now in its second year, is on course to develop as a future selection pathway for Futsal State squads in conjunction with the State Futsal Championships.

Referees

Once again, Victorian referees have been nominated to officiate at the National Futsal Championships. George Lakrindis, Rodrigo Salas, Shams Shahabbi and first timer Jason Wright have all been given yet another opportunity to officiate at national level. Veteran Referee Tas Patrikis will also be in attendance as a Referee Inspector/Assessor and Barry Poulsen will continue to monitor their progress whilst at the National Championships.

Final Squads

Please find attached, list of all Victorian representative players and teams that will be heading off to Canberra for the FFA National Futsal Championships

from 11th – 15th January 2010.

If you would like more information about the 2010 FFA Futsal National Championships please contact Talented Player Coordinator Anthony Grima on 03 9474 1800.

Click here for the full squad list (PDF)