The Fiji Football Association’s FUTSAL commission has named a strong 25 member training squad for the upcoming Oceania Football Confederation FUTSAL Championship which will be played in Fiji.

Fiji FUTSAL secretary Jainendra Sukhu said the commission decided to name a squad early so the team prepares well for the tournament.

“Fiji is hosting the championship and needs to field a competitive and strong team therefore we have named our squad early so they can have the best preparation.”

“The players have been selected based on their performance in the first open club championship that we held in Suva and other players that impress in the western competition which we will be holding in Ba next month will also be considered for the national team.”

“The squad will commence training from next Thursday under coach Intiaz Khan and the training program will continue till the championship in July.”

“FUTSAL is a very popular and fast growing sport in the Oceania region and teams have a lot of benefits of competing in the sport as the winners of the regional playoffs automatically qualify for the World stage competitions” he added.

The western open club championship will be played at Govind Park from March 22-23.

The squad:

Dinesh Mudliar (Nadogo), Sandeep Nair (Nadogo), Navinesh Chand (Nadogo), Navin Reddy (Nadogo), Nathan Kumar (Fiji Sun), Neumi Qereqeretabua (Fiji Sun), Kamal Hassan (Fiji Sun), Pita Bolaitoga (Red Devils), Rajnesh Raju (Red Devils), Ben Aminio (Red Devils), Shonal Sharma (Red Devils), Monit Chand (Red Rock), Michael Kumar (Red Rock), Imtiaz Begg (Extreme Stationary), Mira Sahib (Extreme Stationary), Nitin (Central Vuci), Zaid Suleman (Central Vuci), Kitione Baleiloa (Flagstaff), Aaron Lal (Flagstaff), Joseph Mishra (Nadogo), Feroz Khan (Savusavu), Shiwan Nathan (Savusavu), Ravikash (Civic), Kavitesh Pal (Lokia) and Nitin Chandra (Lokia).

Source : Fijilive
Published : 28/2/2009

About 50 local futsal coaches will benefit from a coaching programme the Oceania Football Confederation will conduct starting Thursday in Honiara.

Those coaches invited to attend the coaching programme are those who coached open men’s teams in the 2008 Honiara Futsal League and other coaches who involved with the Under 16 groups.

Small Sided Games Development officer Victor Wai’ia said it is important two coaches from each team see him at his office at Lawson Tama to register their names.

The coaching programme will be conducted by the visiting OFC Futsal Development officer Scott Gilligan.

Gilligan who has wide experience in coaching futsal said he would like the futsal gospel to spread and by involving more coaches in the coaching programme.

He will also assist the Solomon Kurukuru squad in its preparation for the Oceania Futsal Championship Cup in May in Fiji during his stay here.

Gilligan a renowned Australian Futsal coach before taking up the job with the OFC is keen to see futsal develop in all the island countries.

He said his job is to develop the code in all the countries in Oceania including Solomon Islands.
However, Solomon Islands coaching programme would be slightly different because futsal is not a new sport here.

“I would adjust my programme slightly to suit the needs of this country,” Gilligan said.

Source : Solomon Star
Published : 25/2/2009

Futsal in the Solomon Islands has been rated higher in the Oceania region.

Futsal Project Manager of the Win in Oceania Programme Scott Gilligan revealed this yesterday when confirming the participation of two Kurukuru national futsal players in the Futsal Development Programs in Papua New Guinea.

Gilligan said Jack Whitney and Philip are there to give ideas and offer expertise in similar futsal programmes coordinated by Brain Codrangton.

“The two boys, who left yesterday, will assist with similar programmes by offering their expertise in the game.

“Each country is in a different level and Solomon Islands is a bit advance in terms of Futsal in the Oceania and have played in the World Cup,” he said.

Gilligan is here in the country as part of the Win in Oceania program initiated by FIFA to help and assist the Solomon Islands development squad, which is made up of new and old Kurukuru players.

He will be helping out in the academy side of the development squad.

“To improve the standard and watch the diversity of the players in the next three weeks. I have a fair degree of how this boys play and we will make mainly on the tactical side and enhance the boys for the next three weeks,” he said.

He added that the boys’ development was boosted by their trainings, good coaching and facilities at the Dural Sports Centre in Australia.

“The last World Cup has offered the boys valuable aspects of the game,” said Gilligan, who accompanied the Kurukuru to the World Cup in Brazil last year.

Source : Solomon Star
By : Philip Lilomo
Published : 24/2/2009

Holiday period is over and training session is resuming for young Elliot Ragomo, the Solomon Islands Kurukuru star and captain.

Elliot Ragomo, in an interview with Solomon Times, said that they have resumed training as of last week as there are competitions coming up in the year.

He said that during his holiday breaks the one thing he really enjoyed was spending time with his family which he really missed a lot last year at the time when they are training very hard for the futsal world cup.

He said that the holiday break really gained back his strength and now he is looking forward for another year of training.

“Now that we are back in training, with the number of new players joining us so we will be very busy training them so that some of them can be able to join our national Futsal team,” said young Ragomo.

The Kurukuru star also predicted that this year is going to be a tough year but he believed that they will get through any challenges that they might come across.

When asked if he will ever pursue further in his studies he smiled and say that he will definitely go back doing his studies either going back to King George or pursuing his education at the University of the South Pacific Centre.

Source : Solomon Times
By : Gina Maka’a
Published : 23/2/2009

Utility Siga Ali’s brace helped Navua’s Red Devils overcome Nadogo 2-1 in the Fiji FA Futsal Championship final on Wednesday night. National rep Ali scored the winner on the stroke of fulltime as Red Devils collected the $700 top prize while Dinesh Mudaliar’s Nadogo settled for $300.

Last month Red Devils scooped the Fiji FA Beach Soccer title in Suva after beating Suva’s Combine Brothers. Red Devils manager Krishnil Sharma said adding the national Futsal crown to Navua’s trophy cabinet was a major achievement for the players. In the semis, Red Devils beat Civic 3-2 while Navua upset Greenspace 3-1 to win the women’s grade and $150 prize-money. Fiji FA Futsal Commission secretary Jay Sukhu said the standard of competition improved greatly from the knock-out stages.

Source : Fiji Times Online
Published : 20/2/2009

Top Fiji and Navua clubs Red Devils and Red Rock will meet each other in the first quarterfinal of the Fiji Football Association FUTSAL competition at the Tattersalls Leisure Centre this evening.

The two Southern Forest Limited-sponsored side which are laced with Navua reps were tipped to clash in the final but pool results rules otherwise.

Red Devils boast the likes of Pita Bolaitoga, Benaminio Mateinaqara, Taniela Waqa and Alvin Avinesh while Red Rock has the likes of Usaia Tadu, Rajneel Chand, Rajnesh Raju and Sitiveni Qarau.

Central Vuci with Tailevu Naitasiri reps will face Nadogo which has the services of Dinesh Mudliar and Sandeep Nair in the second quarterfinal while Civic faces Lokia in the third quarter final.

Savusavu meets Fiji Sun in the last elimination round.

Four women’s teams will also take part in the tourney.

Pillay Garments will meet UNO in the first match while Greenspace will play Navua in the second. The winners of the two matches will clash in the final which will be played before the men’s final.

Fiji FUTSAL Commission secretary Jainendra Sukhu believes fans will be able to see top level football in the abbreviated code as all clubs that have qualified have some district players in their side.

“We should expect stiff competition as players will be out to give in their best and try to impress selectors who are looking for talents for our national squad which will compete in the OFC FUTSAL playoffs in May,” he said.

Quarterfinals:
6pm- Southern Forest Red Devils vs Southern Forest Red Devils, 6.20pm- Central Vuci vs Nadogo, 6.40pm- Civic vs Lokia, 7pm- Fiji Sun vs Savusavu, 7.20pm- Pillay Garments vs UNO (Women), 7.40pm- Greenspace vs Navua (Women)

The semifinals kick off at 8pm and the final will be played at 9pm.

Source : FijiLive
Published : 18/2/2009

Proposals for a revised O-League and details of the US$8 million “Win in Oceania” project were among the hot topics discussed at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Executive Committee meeting held in Rarotonga at the weekend.

Convening at the Muri Beach Club Hotel on Saturday, the meeting opened with a guest appearance from Cook Islands Minister of Sport Ngamau Munokoa who was welcomed by OFC President Reynald Temarii, Cook Islands Football Association President Lee Harmon and other OFC Executive Committee members.

One of the important points of contention during the assembly was the future of OFC’s flagship competition – the O-League. Two proposals aimed at improving the current six-team structure were considered.

Due to the complexity of the suggested changes and the importance of the outcome, the decision on the proposals has been deferred until the next OFC Executive Committee meeting on 30 May, 2009.

OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says this will give each member association more time to carefully consider each option.

“This is not a decision we want to rush,” Nicholas said. “It is important to mull over the finer details so that the proposal we choose will ultimately ensure the quality of the O-League is kept as high as possible.”

In addition to the O-League proposals, the committee discussed details about the FIFA initiative “Win in Oceania” set to be launched this year. Senior Project Manager Vairani Davio gave a presentation outlining what funding each member association will receive and how the project aims to leave a legacy in areas such as administration, medical procedures, infrastructure, national leagues and futsal as well as media, communications and TV capabilities.

The OFC President added that the success of the FIFA-funded project is paramount.

“Win in Oceania is a significant project and it reaffirms FIFA’s position as one of the most important financial contributors to each country within the Oceania region,” President Temarii said. “Therefore it is imperative that each member association takes ownership and meets the set targets.”

In other matters, the Executive Committee:

approved the audited accounts of OFC showing a 1.1 million profit for 2008 appointed Greg Larsen as Deputy General Secretary of the OFC General Secretariat appointed Iuli Alex Godinet as an observer of the OFC Executive Committee agreed with the findings of the FIFA/OFC delegation that went to Papua New Guinea that David Chung was duly elected as President of the Papua New Guinea Football Association on 5 July, 2008 confirmed that all OFC competitions will be centralised in New Zealand for the next four years with the aim of increasing participation levels. Note: exceptions will be OFC Futsal (to be held in Fiji and New Caledonia) and OFC Beach Soccer (to be held in Tahiti) agreed that OFC will bid to host the 2011 or 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Source : Voxy.co.nz
Published : 18/2/2009

Navua is on path to wrest the Fiji FUTSAL title from its Suva opponents after the second round of the Fiji Football Open Club Championship this afternoon.

Tournament coordinator Jainen Sukhu said Southern Forest Red Devils which won the Fiji FA Beach Football last week and Southern Forest Red Rock are on their way to the final next week after impressive wins today.

“The top teams in each pool see Red Devils unbeaten, Pool Two is a tussle between Extreme Stationary and Bureta Civic, Pool Three is between Red Rock and Central Vuci. Red Rock is unbeaten and a draw against Central Vuci, Pool Four saw the biggest upset today where Navasa Sports; made up of a group of young boys beat Fiji Sun 4-1. Rewa rep Kamal Hassan (FSun) was red carded in this game,” he added.

“The last round of pool plays will be played next week and a confirmed date for the final because of next Sunday’s Rewa versus Navua flood appeal match,” he added.

Results:

Fiji Sun 2-1 Taunovo, Benson Electric 2-2 Ruggers, Greenpeace 5-2 Zion, Extreme Stationary 0-0 Civic, Taunovo 2-0 FSM, Navasa Sports 0-1 Flagstaff, Savusavu 3-0 Inter, Central Vuci 2-0 FMF UTD, Savusavu 3-1 Addisborough, Cope 3-2 Zion, Extreme Stationary 1-0 Bureta, Benson Electric 0-4 Vuci, Navasa 2-0 FSM, Civic 3-2 Bureta, Addisbrough 2-1 Extreme, Fiji Sun 1-4 Navasa

Source : FijiLive
Published : 8/2/2009

Futsal4all in conjunction with Gorilla Sports is proud to announce a new monthly competition.

You have a chance to win Futsal and Football related gear from Gorilla Sports each and every month by simply answering a question.

It is open to all ages. Entries will be compiled each month and Gorilla Sports will draw and announce the winner.

The great set of prizes to kick us off for February 2009 are as follows :

• Gorilla Indoor Futsal Ball
• Gorilla Playing Shirt
• Gorilla Playing Short
• Gorilla Playing Socks
• Gorilla Outdoor Football

All sizes will be adjusted to suit the winner. Gorilla Sports will be in contact with the winner to confirm the sizes that you want.

If you want to win it simply answer the following Question :

After the referee has signalled for a kick-in to be taken, how long does the player have to put the ball into play?

Note this competition is now closed. Winners will be announced soon.

The deadline for your answers is the Friday the 27th of February 2009 at 3:00pm. Ensure you use a valid email address. If you submit on fake or temporary addresses, your entry will be removed from the competition.

Good luck to everyone!!

 

Competition FAQ

* Is the competition open to all ages?

Yes. Anyone of any age can enter the comp each month.

* How is the winner chosen?

All entries submitted via email throughout the month are compiled by Gorilla Sports, and the General Manager of Gorilla Sports NSW will draw the winner. All valid entries are numbered as they are received. During the draw itself, all numbers are put into a hat and one is drawn at random. That number is matched to the number of the email that was submitted.

The winner will be announced on Futsal4all.

* Can I enter more than once?

No, one entry per person per month is all that will be covered. You are welcome to submit more, but after your first entry for that month, your other submissions will not be counted.

* But what if I think I got the question wrong and want to try again?

Sorry your first submission will be the only one that is counted.

* If I enter will my email details be used for anything else and will they be passed on to any other companies?

Your email address will be kept on file for the Gorilla Sports Newsletter only. It will not be passed on to any other companies, and will not be used by Futsal4all.

You must use a valid email address. Any addresses that cannot be contacted will be removed from the competition.

* Will it cost me anything to enter?

No there are no costs involved. It will not cost you to enter, or to have the prize shipped to you should you win.

* I entered the comp last month already, does my entry automatically go into the next months competition?

No, you need to submit an entry for each month, as the question will change each time.

* I’ve won, how and when do I get my prize?

Gorilla Sports will contact you via email to let you know and to request your address. You prize can be posted to you (at no cost to you), or depending on your location hand-delivered by Gorilla Sports, or you could even collect it from the Gorilla Sports shop. Where possible we would love to get a shot of you with your newly won gear so we can put it up here on the website.

Navua’s Southern Forest sponsored Red Rock and Red Devils are the team to beat in the Fiji Football Open Club Futsal soccer championship.

Boosted by several Navua reps, the Red Devils and Red Rock teams proved to be the thorn to their oppositions after winning all their matches at the Tattersalls Leisure Centre in Suva.

Red Devils had the services of Pita Bolaitoga, Ben Aminio and Alvin Avinesh.

In their last game against Tropical Thunders, Bolaitoga opened up the scores from a free-kick before Avinesh scored the second goal.

Bolaitoga scored his second goal in the opening seconds of the second half, Rajnesh Raju and Rajneel Chand helped in the drubbing for a 5-0 win.

They earlier defeated Zion Glass and Mirror 3-1 before thrashing Cope 7-0.

Red Rock defeated Ruggers in the last match 5-2, two goals from Usaia Tadu and one each from Michael Kumar, Taniela Waqa and Pene Erenio.

They drew with Central Vuci 1-all but walloped Bension Electric 4-0.

The second round of the competition continues next weekend pending the availability of the Tattersalls Leisure Centre.

Round One results: Fiji Sun 5-2 FSM, Cops 3-5 Nadogo, Bureta 2-1 Savusavu, Civic 4-0 Addisbrough, Inter 0-3 Extreme Stationary, Bension Electric 3-2 Fiji Care Insurance, Ruggers 4-2 FMF Utd, Zion Gless 3-1 Tropical Thunder, Zion Glass and Mirrior 1-3 Southern Forest Red Devil, Central Vuci 1-1 Southern Forest Red Rock, DnR 22 Navasa Football, Lokia 1-0 Flagstaff, Greenspace 1-4 Nadogo, Cope 0-7 Southern Forest Red Devil, Bension electric 0-4 Southern Forest Red Rock, Navasa 2-3 Lokia, DnR 1-7 Flagstaff, Central Vuci 3-2 Ruggers, Greenspace 7-1 Cope, Tropical Thunder 0-5 Southern Forest Red Devil, Ruggers 2-5 Southern Forest Red Rock

Source : FijiLive
Published : 1/2/2009