Team Profile: Academy – Proudly Sponsored by Xtreme Locksmiths

The next in our series of Team profiles. We chat with Brett Hewit, ex-Futsalroo Capatin and coach our our very talented Academy squad.

Editor: Brett, bearing in mind the Academy games are non-competitive, what are your objectives for the squad this year?

Brett: My main objective for the Academy is not to build something to win today, but rather to build something to win tomorrow. This is my second year with the Quake Academy and my role is to continually encourage the players to first and foremost enjoy the game. This being the case, educating the players is not a concern as they are already engaged and I am lucky to have a playing group that is very willing to listen.

Last year’s squad consisted of talented players aged 9 or 10 playing against teams wholly or predominantly 11 years of age. Whilst our Academy team will still be young (only two 11-year old players), 80% of last seasons players have returned and I can already see the benefit of one season of futsal. My role is to develop players that will be with the club for a long period of time and I am pleased that two of last years team were selected in the 12′s.

Editor: What do you think is the most important thing for players of this age to learn about the game?

Brett: With young players the focus should always be to develop them technically, not physically. This form of the game has different demands from football as in control (sole of the foot), etc and developing technique remains my priority in all of our training sessions. I will introduce a skill or technique, progress this to a small sided game with limited pressure and if warranted continue to a game situation, all the while focusing on the chosen technique and ensuring that the session remains enjoyable to all!

Editor: The trial match against Majik was impressive. The consensus from both sets of supporters was that the level of play was very high from both teams. What was your impression about the quality of play?

Brett: It was a very good game and there are a lot of talented players from both teams that we are lucky to have playing futsal. At this age I believe that there should be minimal focus on defensive systems and that in itself translates into open, fast paced games which are very enjoyable to watch. The most amazing aspect for me is that they have no fear which I encourage as long as they fundamentally play as a team, whilst the older age groups tend to be more conservative with the ball and the games are not as free flowing.

Editor: Can you give us a run down of the players in your squad? What will our supporters see when they watch this team?

Brett: The players are Lucas, Aidan, Tristan, Patrick, Connor, Joseph, Cameron and Michael. As they are a mirror of their environment at home I would like to thank their parents in advance as they are doing a fantastic job. What will people see? A bunch of very talented players with smiles on their faces (hopefully!).

Team Profile: 12 Boys – Proudly Sponsored By 40 Winks Campbelltown

Another in our series of Team Profiles. This time we talk with Brett Hewit, coach of the Academy & 12 Boys,about his 12 Boys squad.

Editor: Huge numbers turned out for trials for this squad and you have a new look squad this year with only one lad returning from last year’s team. What were you looking for at trials?

Brett: My first role at the trial was to talk to the parents and ensure that they were aware of what was happening. During this I apologised as there is always limited time to review each player prior to making a decision, it is also daunting for the players and I also spoke with them and told them to enjoy themselves.

I focus my selection on some of the aspects of what I believe a futsal player should be such as being technically strong, agile, have an understanding of the game but just as important the attitude of the player (are they coachable?). There is no secret to success and every coach has differing philosophies on coaching. Whilst this influences your views on how you want to play it is ultimately the playing group that dictates your focus. I can honestly say that this was an “open” trial in every sense of the word (no selections made prior to the day) which I believe is very important in developing a positive culture and not being seen as a closed shop.

Editor: The team’s trial form suggests they’ll be competitive. Have you set a goal for the squad?

Brett: This is a brand new team which has only played 2 games together so my expectations are limited. My focus each match will be to create an environment in which each of the players feels comfortable to perform to the best of their ability. If this is the case I believe that this will be a good year for the team and more importantly we will play an attractive style of futsal.

Editor: Can you tell us a little about each of the boys in the team?

Brett: The players are Alex, Daniel, Aaron, Steven, Youssef, Adrian, Jayden, Nicholas and Angelo. Whilst you may not know them yet, rest assured that you will know them by the end of the season!

Editor: At Quake we encourage all our teams to come early and stay late to support their club mates. What will our supporters see when they come to watch these boys?

Brett; If I do my job properly they will see the same as the Academy, very talented players with smiles on their faces.

Team Profile: 16 Boys – Proudly Sponsored by Einhell Australia

Another of our Team Profiles. This time around Danny Martinez gives us his thoughts on his very talented 16 Boys squad.

Editor: Danny, last year’s squad won nearly everything on offer and we thought that it would be a while before we saw another squad like that. But watching the boys trial it looks like you may have a squad as good, if not better than, last year’s. Your thoughts?

Danny: Yeh, look I’ve had a lot of luck in retaining about half of last years 16s as well as selecting the best from last years 14s. So the plus there is that everyone’s fairly familiar with one another’s game and we have a good mix of about 50/50 top age and bottom age players. The only new players are my goalkeeper Jamie Jallad who’s new to this level of futsal and Marko Filipovic who has returned after a year at Sydney City. The team so far is gelling well and I have high expectations of this squad. And now that a lot of the boys have had a taste of what it takes to win it all, I’m sure they are hungry to repeat it.

Editor: What can we expect to see from this team this year?

Danny: The boys are learning a new defensive system at the moment and so far so good with understanding all of it. I have a good mix of players with speed to burn all over the court. We have been working on a lot of counter attack as well, which is an area that I thought needed work. I don’t want to give too much away to our opposition reading this so my short answer would be: expect a team that will be up in those top 4 spots come the end of January.

Editor: Can you tell us a little bit about each player?

Danny: Sure, here we go one-by-one:

Jamie: Our new goalkeeper, so far a shy lad among the boys but is slowly opening up and so far as a player has shown some great potential as a shot stopper. Look forward to seeing this player grow as the year goes on.

Sean: A player that is slowly turning into a leader around the court, very clever player with one of the softest touches in the game. He has already had his opportunity to step up and match it with the Youth and Men’s teams and hasn’t looked out of place so I am expecting a big year from him.

Anson: Getting better and better as the weeks go on. Will prove to be a vital player getting his job done for the team as he has done week after week for me in the past.

Ben10: He has that bulldog like approach! Doesn’t stop running and leaves everything on the court. Looks hungry as ever after having a year off due to injury. Great team player and knows where the goals are. Will be a go to man in important matches.

Mati: The team clown! Haha, but a great player, fantastic speed and footwork and also reads the game very well!. Will be key for us this year.

Luke: Very silky feet and smart player being his first year in 16s. Can learn a lot from the older boys in the team but will develop into a fantastic player as the season goes on.

Lachy: Big, strong, fast and skillful: has everything you need in a player. Fantastic at applying pressure high up the court. Will be great for us on the counter attack.

Trent: Another youngster but I will look to him to lead the boys from the back of the court this year as a great pivot with fantastic passing ability.

Marko: Has returned this season to be back in the purple and orange. So far has been great in the pre-season with fantastic goals and assists. Will be an important player this season. This being is first year in 16s still showing so much potential to be another go to man in important matches.

Nads: Fantastic player to coach. Listens to everything and executes with ease. Great at applying pressure on the ball. With size not on his side I still very rarely see him pull out of, or lose, a 1 on 1 battle!

Editor: Anything else you’d like to add?

Danny: Goodluck to all the teams. Especially all the Quake teams. Looks like its going to be a very exciting season ahead. Cant wait!!!!