The Qantas Futsalroos have qualified for the 2010 AFC Futsal Championship after defeating Vietnam 4-1 in the semi-final of the qualification tournament in Jakarta with ACT Cobras players Tom Rogic, Pat Ross-Magee and Angelo Konstantinou all featuring.

After a tense start, the Qantas Futsalroos opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Fernando De Moraes who hit the underside of the crossbar with a powerful shot from the top of the D. The lead was doubled a few minutes later when Toby Seeto hit a shot from distance and placed it neatly past the unsighted Vietnamese goalkeeper.

Early in the second half, Vietnam pulled a goal back when Truong Quoc Tua was left unmarked and slotted into an empty net after the Qantas Futsalroos goalkeeper, Angelo Konstantinou, came off his line to intercept a pass.

Midway through the second half Toby Seeto scored his second goal of the matchwhen Greg Giovenali found him with a well-placed free-kick. Seeto’s deft left-footed finish restoring the Qantas Futsalroos two goal lead going into the final stages of the match. Fernando De Moraes sealed the result two minutes from time when he beat his defender out wide, cut inside and appeared to be fouled but the referee played advantage. In the process of falling De Moraes was able to get a foot to the ball and slid it past the keeper.

Qantas Futsalroos Head Coach Steven Knight was absolutely delighted that his team had achieved their goal of qualification.

“The result was what we came here for, that being qualification for the AFC Futsal Championship,” said Knight

“I have been very impressed with how the players, especially the younger ones, have stepped up at the international level and the discipline that they have shown throughout the tournament.

“We are still looking forward to playing in tomorrow’s final and the experience that we are gathering along the way will be very valuable for future tournaments,” concluded Knight.

In the other semi-final, host nation Indonesia came from a goal down to defeat Malaysia 5-3.

The Qantas Futsalroos will now face Indonesia in the final of the AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers on Thursday 25 February, whilst Malaysia will meet Vietnam in the third place play-off match.

AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers take place from 20-25 February in Jakarta with the top three teams qualifying for the 2010 AFC Futsal Championships which will be played in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 23-30 May.

The ACT’s Tom Rogic grabbed a double on his Futsalroo debut as Australia defeated Myanmar 6-1 in their opening match of the AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers in Jakarta.

Rogic restored the Qantas Futsalroos lead after capitalising on a mistake by the opposition goalkeeper to score his first goal in international colours and cancel out Myanmar’s shock equaliser.

The ANU FC player doubled his tally, shortly after Dean Fogarty had made the score 3-1, from a one-on-one chance after some smart interplay in the lead-up with Toby Seeto as the Futsalroos found top gear eventually cruising to a 6-1 triumph.

The Futsalroos made it through to the semi-finals of the competition after topping their group following a 4-1 victory over Indonesia. Pat Ross-Magee, who was voted joint winner of the ACT Football Player of the Year award in 2009, was in sparkling form and set up a simple goal for Fernando De Moraes after linking superbly with Dean Lockhart.

The Australian side was in fine form for the majority of the clash and fully deserved the comprehensive win.

Qantas Futsalroos Head Coach Steven Knight was very happy that his team were able to advance to the semi-finals stage by defeating the host nation.

“Although we missed a number of opportunities early on, the boys continued to create chances and maintain the pressure on Indonesia throughout the match,” said Knight

“In truth we had a lapse which gave them their goal, but the players worked very hard to take the lead back and then go on with the job.

“At half time I was reasonably confident that we could hold on and get the points which we eventually did.

“Over the past week, the boys have responded well to our style of play with the most positive aspect being that we are injury free and have all players available for the remaining matches.

“If we get a result against Vietnam we achieve our goal of qualification and that is what we will focus on now,” concluded Knight.

The Qantas Futsalroos will face Vietnam in their semi-finals match of the AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers on Wednesday 24 February, whilst Malaysia will meet Indonesia in the other semi-final.

Registrations for the Winter Futsal Seniors Competition are now open!

Registration pack available here (PDF)

Competitions on offer include:

Women Divisions 1 – 3: ACT Wide Competitions
Mens Divisions 1 – 5: North and South Canberra Competitions
Mixed Social Divisions 1 – 2: ACT Wide Competitions

Team registrations and individual player payments are accepted only from designated team managers and must be submitted in full before the registration deadline – 5pm Friday 26 March 2010.

ACT Football Federation
(Registered as Capital Football)
Football House
Unit 2/3 Phipps Close
Deakin ACT 2600
PO Box 50
Curtin ACT 2605

Futsal Department Direct phone line – (02) 6175 7115
Capital Football General phone line – (02) 6260 4000

www.capitalfootball.com.au

futsalleague@capitalfootball.com.au

Boomerangs FS Open Men and under-12 Girls teams will play on the Grand Finals of the NSW Futsal Super League on Saturday 20th February after success in their respective Preliminary Finals over the weekend.

Futsalroo Pat Ross-Magee starred in the men’s 8-5 triumph over South Coast whilst the Girls came out on top in a five-goal thriller with Enfield Rovers, but there was disappointment for the under-14 Girls and the Open Women’s teams who stumbled at the final hurdle.

Under-12 Girls
Boomerangs FS 3 Enfield Rovers 2

After losing to Enfield in the first round of the competition, the girls’ came into the Preliminary Final much improved and brimming with confidence. After conceding early the Boomerangs equalised brilliantly, before taking the lead with minutes remaining before the break. Enfield pulled the scores level with a rapid fire response within fifteen seconds of the start of the 2nd half but Boomerangs hit back from the resulting kick off with a well worked team goal which ultimately proved the difference in an enthralling contest. Boomerangs take on Breakers FC in the Grand Final at Dural sport and leisure centre next Saturday at 1pm.

Under-14 Girls
Boomerangs FS 2 (3) South Coast 2 (4) Penalty Shootout

The under-14 girl’s battled throughout a hotly contested match before falling to a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out defeat. After dominating the first half it was a shock when South Coast took the lead seconds before half time against the run of play. The second half was once again dominated by the Boomerangs but it didn’t look to be their day after Rebecca Collins missed a penalty midway through. However Collins made amends minutes later as she equalised with a well worked goal to send the match into extra-time. In the added time the game continued in the same manner with Boomerangs having all the chances before South Coast once again struck on the break in the second half of extra time. Incredibly Boomerangs hit back again straight away with another equaliser before coming up short in the shoot-out.

Open Women
Boomerangs FS 0 Breakers 1

With the dismissal of their goal keeper last week the Boomerangs were up against it in their Preliminary Final against a strong Breakers outfit. With scores deadlocked at 0-0 at the break both teams played cautious futsal in the opening exchanges of the second half with neither wanting to be the first to slip up. After several half chances for both teams went begging the Breakers finally took the lead, despite the efforts of Rebecca Collins in goal. The Boomerangs pressed for the leveller but to no avail as Breakers held on for victory.

Open Men
Boomerangs FS 8 South Coast 5

With only six players for the match the Boomerangs team went into their Preliminary Final as underdogs against South Coast. With Futsalroo ‘keeper Angelo Konstantinou still injured, young up-and-comer Kieran Stroh took his place between the sticks for the third match in a row. South Coast got off to the perfect start taking the early lead before the Boomerangs equalised through Futsalroo Pat Ross-Magee. Shortly after the Boomerangs took the lead and from then on it was the South coast side playing catch up. The teams traded goals until half time with boomerangs taking a 4-3 lead into the break after an exhilarating first half. A further goal put the ACT based side 5-3 in front only for South Coast to hit back immediately once more. However, further superb play by the Boomerangs saw them into an unassailable 8-4 lead after superb work from man of the match Ross-Magee. South Coast did manage a consolation goal late on but it was too little too late as Boomerangs booked a date with Maccabi in the Grand Final.

Saturday 20th February 2010
Dural Sport & Leisure Centre
NSW Futsal Super League

Under-12 Girls
Grand Final
Boomerangs FS v Breakers, kick off 13:00

Open Men
Grand Final
Boomerangs FS v Maccabi, kick off 20:00

ACT Cobras representatives Angelo Konstantinou, Pat Ross-Magee and Tom Rogic have been selected in the 13-man Qantas Futsalroos squad for the AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers which will be held in Indonesia later this month.

Whilst Ross-Magee’s selection had been earmarked for some time, and Konstatinou is a regular in the squad, it’s the call-up of ANU prodigy Rogic that has surprised most. However, the forward struck ten times in the recent FFA Futsal National Championships in Canberra to claim the Golden Boot for the tournament and earn national recognition from Futsalroos coach Steven Knight.

And, staying with the ACT theme, Colts goalkeeper Roger Cua is also part of the squad in his capacity as Goalkeeping Coach.

Confident with his first national team picks, Knight believes that he has the right mix of local and international players with the skills, experience and ability to qualify for the AFC Futsal Championship which will be held in Uzbekistan in May.

“We looked at a large number of players over the past few months and the players selected proved themselves to be the best available for selection,” said Knight

“There are three overseas players selected who are currently playing in professional leagues in Europe which will add a different type of experience to the squad.

“There is also a number of debutants in the squad who, I believe, have the ability to step up and begin their senior international futsal careers.

“The competition in Indonesia will be very tough, in particular the host nation who will have the home court advantage, but I’m confident that we can do the job,” concluded Knight

Knight will also name an additional player to the squad after the Qantas Futsalroos participate in a charity match against NSW Thunder on Sunday in aid of the Sherry Family Orphan Appeal.

Football Federation Australia and the Qantas Futsalroos were saddened when hearing the news of the passing of Carole and Joseph Sherry who drowned whilst trying to save their children from a treacherous rip at a South Ballina Beach on the NSW North Coast on the 19th January. The unfortunate tragedy left their children Monique, Elise, and Nicholas orphaned. The Sherry family was very active with the Campbelltown Quake Futsal Club with Elise playing in the under 14 girls squad.

The charity match will kick-off at 4pm on Sunday 14 February at the Dural Sport & Leisure Centre with all proceeds going to the Sherry Family Orphan Appeal (see below for details).

AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers will take place from 20-25 February in Jakarta with the top three teams qualifying for the AFC Futsal Championships which will be played in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 23-30 May.

The Qantas Futsalroos have been drawn in Group A along with Indonesia and Myanmar, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Philippines make up Group B.

Qantas Futsalroos Squad
AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN Zone qualifiers
20-25 February 2010

Joshua Codrington (Dural Warriors, NSW), Roger Cua (Mascot Vipers, NSW), Fernando De Moraes (North Melbourne FC, VIC), Miles Downie (Sporting Club Vila Verde, Portugal), Rhys Giovenali (Dural Warriors, NSW), Greg Giovenali (Salaria Sporting Village, Italy), Simon Keith (Maccabi Futsal, NSW), Angelo Konstantinou (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Dean Lockhart (Campbelltown City Quake, NSW), Pat Ross-Magee (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Tom Rogic (ANU, ACT), Tobias Seeto (Lanzarote Tias Yaiza, Spain), Adrian Vizzari (Inner West Allstars, NSW),

Team Officials

Head Coach – Steven Knight (NSW)
Assistant Coach – Robert Varela (NSW)
Goalkeeper Coach – Roger Cua (ACT)
Physiotherapist – Michael Sette (VIC)
Team Manager – Matt Sheppard (FFA)

ACT based Boomerangs FS will be represented in four qualifying finals this weekend in the NSW Super League competition with under-12 girls and under-14 girls joining the Women and Men’s open teams in attempting to reach the Grand Final.

The under-12 girls will be up against it in their qualifying final against Enfield Rovers this weekend though as the Rovers side were the Minor Premiers and lost only a solitary match all season, beating the Boomerangs girls in the 1st round. The Boomerangs will be buoyed however by the return of their goalkeeper Jess Giovinazzo who was dismissed in the Preliminary Final against Breakers FC. With Giovinazzo alongside side star stand-outs Sienna Senatore, Sam Roff and Ali Cook, the team that scored 71 goals in their thirteen matches on the way to finishing third on the ladder cannot be discounted.

At under-14 level the Boomerangs girls will also be in for a tough match against a South Coast side who they haven’t beaten before. The team have led at halftime in both of the teams encounters with South Coast this season and will be hoping they can improve their second half performance this weekend to secure a berth in the Grand Final. With Natalie DeMarco, Lauren Keir and goalkeeper Nicky Webb in scintillating form there is no reason to doubt that they can succeed.

Boomerangs Open Women will go into their match Breakers FC full of confidence after an amazing comeback against Liverpool Fusion last week in which young gun Rebecca Collins played in goal after regular ‘keeper Tahlia Davidson was dismissed in her under-16’s clash with Northern Tigers. The girls, who were comprehensively beaten by Breakers in their Preliminary Final, will go into the match with the slight advantage of being extensively practiced on the international size pitch. Becky Roche and Rachel Crittenden, both members of the Act Cobras side that reached the final of the recent FFA Futsal Nationals Championships have ben in excellent form all year and will be keen to go a step farther.

Meanwhile after scraping through to the finals with a win in their last round game the Boomerangs Open Men’s team have gone from strength to strength in the finals on the back of quality performances from their Futsalroo internationals, the experienced Trent Flannigan and young gun Pat Ross-Magee. After knocking out more fancied opponents in Botany Bay Pirates and Enfield Rovers, Boomerangs will go into the game against South Coast as favourites. The Boomerangs Men beat the South Coast side 7-4 when they last met in Canberra.

Boomerangs spokesman, Kristian Collins, is ecstatic at the club’s success in its maiden foray into the NSW Super League.

“Being a new club into the Super League Competition this year we couldn’t have asked for much more our debut season,” Collins said. “We struggled early with filling our rosters but once the season got going the wins began to flow and we began moving up the Club Championship table eventually finishing a highly creditable 5th. Our representation on the finals series clearly shows how much of a success the season was with five teams qualifying,”

All finals fixtures take place this weekend at Menai Indoor Sports Centre.

Fixtures
Saturday 13th February 2010 at Menai Indoor Sports Centre

Under-12 Girls Qualifying Final – 3pm
Boomerangs FS v Enfield Rovers
(Last meeting: Round 1 – Enfield Rovers won 3-1)

Under-14 Girls Qualifying Final – 5pm
Boomerangs FS v South Coast
(Last meeting: Preliminary Final – South Coast won 2-1)

Women Qualifying Final – 9pm
Boomerangs FS v Breakers FC
(Last meeting: Preliminary Final – Breakers FC won 5-0)

Men Qualifying Final – 10pm
Boomerangs FS v South Coast
(Last meeting: Round 7 – Boomerangs won 7-4)

SBS SPORT TO BROADCAST 2010 FFA FUTSAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Catch all the highlights from the 2010 FFA Futsal National Championships from Canberra on

SBS 1 Sunday 7th February at 12 – 1 pm

SBS Sport will air a 1 hour packaged highlights of the Men’s and Women’s Finals held recently in Canberra.

NSW Lightning Men and Queensland Women National Champions

NSW Lightning were crowned men’s open champions at the FFA Futsal National Championships after an epic 4-2 Grand Final win over the ACT Cobras whilst Queensland claimed the women’s open title with a 3-1 victory over a more experienced ACT Cobras outfit at the AIS Arena.

The Lightning came from 1-0 down to complete a memorable end to the competition that threatened to derail them halfway through when they suffered three losses in quick succession. Rhys Giovanali was named man of the match after a performance full of guile and energy that left the ACT Cobras floundering in his wake.

In the women’s competition the Queensland youngsters played with a style and elegance that belied their tender years to wear down an older Cobras team.

THE FFA FUTSAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
HIGHLIGHTS ON SBS THIS SUNDAY from 12 pm Eastern

Produced in Association with Capital Football and FFA by
Eurocam Sports Production & Distribution info@eurocam.com.au

 

Click here for the original press release (DOC)

Capital Football have released the list of Players who got named MVP (Tournament and Final) and Golden Boot for the Senior age groups.

Age Group	Tournament MVP	Team	Golden Boot	Team	GF MVP	Team
11 Boys	Sarpreet Singh	Auckland A	N/A	N/A	Dominic Breckenridge	NSW Thunder
11 Girls	Princess Ibini-Iso	NSW Lightning	N/A	N/A	Danielle Francis	NSW Lightning
12 Boys	Brendan Frost	NNSW Hawks	N/A	N/A	Ardian Vuviqi	Victoria
12 Girls	Hiwot Johnstone	ACT Colts	N/A	N/A	Rhianna Pollicina	NSW Thunder
13 Boys	Matthew Stirton	ACT Cobras	N/A	N/A	Vincent Gianini	NSW Thunder
13 Girls	Madeline Capoccia	South Australia	N/A	N/A	Sam Scarlato	NSW Thunder
14 Boys	Kayden Oakes	Queensland	N/A	N/A	Kaan Korkmaz	Victoria
14 Girls	Ivana Zaric	SNSW	N/A	N/A	Carla Canini	NSW Thunder
15 Boys	Alex Waimora	Solomon Islands	N/A	N/A	Michael Cimino	NSW Lightning
15 Girls	Madeleine Pieper	Queensland	N/A	N/A	Aleisha Wawn	NSW Thunder
16 Boys	Bruno Pivato	NSW Thunder	N/A	N/A	Bruno Pivato	NSW Thunder
16 Girls	Tamara Nash	SNSW	N/A	N/A	Marie Svinos	NSW Thunder
Youth Men	Ibrahim Kerem	NSW Lightning	Luke Cole	ACT Cobras	Rocci Gabby	Southern NSW
Youth Women	Connie Marie Ricci	South Australia	Natasha Lo Giudice	NSW Thunder	Ellie Raymond	ACT Cobras
Open Men	Elliot Zwangobani	ACT Cobras	George Cattanach /Tom Rogic	ACT Cobras	Rhys Giovanali	NSW Lightning
Open Women	Claire Walsh	NSW Thunder	Rebekah Stott	Queensland	Georgie Bridges	Queensland

A big thank to James Brackenrig for sending us the youtube links to his excellent Footage of the U15 NSW Thunder team in action at the recent FFA Nationals.

All footage was shot and edited by James.

Either click on the links below, or view the embedded versions further down this page…

Update 20/1/2010 U11 Boys Grand Final Highlights : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxmE57DdStI
U15 Boys NSW Thunder – Tournament Goals : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhwS_5mZ4-QU15
U15 Boys NSW Thunder – Top 10 Goals : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lN45DyvrvIU15
U15 Boys NSW Thunder Keeper Highlights – Mark : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do4uePi3JvoU15
U15 Boys MSW Thunder Keeper Highlights – Aaron : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdKTz5X6JlA

The National Under-15 futsal missed their chance yesterday to play in today’s grand final at the Australian FFA National Futsal Championships in Canberra bowing out to champions NSW Thunder 3 goals to 4.

Despite their impressive performance in the initial rounds the boys only just managed to secure fourth place in the pool standings after thrashing Northern NSW Hawks 8 – 1 and team Queensland 6 goals to 4 in their remaining pool games.

Their final two wins helped them secure the semi-final spot yesterday but they were up against the reigning champion state team NSW Thunder.

With a huge win in their previous game, the Under 15 boys went into semi-final match late yesterday determined to win but were not able to go any further.

The semi-final match up went right down to the wire and was only separated by a goal at the end of the game. The NSW thunder eventually came out victorious in the end defeating the Solomon Islands Under-15 boys 4 goals to 3.

Meanwhile, the Under-12 boys also made it into the semis with a much better performance in their pool games.

They won all their games except for one and came second at the final standings of the Under-12 Pool A ladder.

The Under-12 boys’ semi-final game was against Pool B leaders NSW Thunder but it was the last match yesterday.

They were yet to play before this paper went to print.