Linwood College of Christchurch are setting the bar for all other schools to follow when it comes to Futsal.

In 2008 the Linwood College Snr Boys Futsal team was name the schools Sports team of the year after winning the NZ Schools Champion of Champions tournament in Queenstown. They are now looking to back that result up in Dunedin this weekend (May 30-June 1st) at the 2009 Champion of Champions.

The school takes it’s Futsal serious and is producing many of the countries best players. Recently they were interviewed on Canterbury’s CTV about their Futsal program and goals.

Sydney Benfica FC would like to congratulate the following coaches on their appointments for the upcoming season.

Fernando Oliveira will continue to coach Benfica’s men, targeting the semi finals will be their priority. Joseph Pinto will take the Youth, given he has made the past three grand finals for two championships. The step up in leagues will prove challenging. The 16 Boys will be coached by two of our youth/mens players in Husky Akil and Costa Chronopoulos. Boy boys are extremely young, serving as assistants last year, this team is sure to have a blast whilst playing some entertaining futsal. Their energy and knowledge as players, will filter throughout the team. Mario Da Silva will take the 14 Boys. Mario’s passion and commitment to the side will prove telling in the later stages of the competition. Lorenzo D’Addona will take the 12 Boys. After having a successful season last year, he knows what he is up against, and is sure to have the boys rip raring to go.

In what can only be describe as exciting times for Benfica’s female teams, the appointment of Ian Skeoch as 1st Grade Women’s coach is sure to be a fruitful one. Ian is a Futsal Level 2 coach with development of the girls a priority. Ian successfully took the FNSW Women’s Lightning team all the way to the Nationals final. Ross Anderson, takes the 16 girls again, looking to build on the nucleus of the squad. The girls will be hungary once again and look forward to the challenges that they will encounter. The 14 Girls will be coached by Club Captain Jessica Abi-Sassine and Olympia Avramidis. Both girls are part of our 1st Grade women’s squad and will provide the leadership that is required for these younger age groups. The 12 Girls coach will be announced, once it is confirmed that this age group has been integrated into the competition.

Our goalkeeper coaches will be Joshua Da Palma and Costa Chronopoulos. We are also pleased to announce that current NSW Thunder and Futsalroo goalkeeper Peter Spathis will conduct some sessions throughout the season. Peter has a busy schedule with Magic, NSW and the Futsalroos, along with his pending marriage later on the year, but has committed to several sessions.

Mens – Fernando Oliveira
Youth – Joseph Pinto
16 Boys – Husky Akil & Costa Chronopoulos
14 Boys – Mario Da Silva
12 Boys – Lorenzo D’Addona
Womens – Ian Skeoch
16 Girls – Ross Anderson
14 Girls – Jessica Abi-Sassine & Olympia Avramidis
12 Girls – TBA
Goalkeeper Coaches – Joshua Da Palma and Costa Chronopoulos

Ten schools in Honiara will participate in a coaching clinic this and next week.

Solomon Island Football Federation (SIFF) Fustal Development Officer, Victor Wai’a said the futsal training is part of the Oceania football Confederation’s (OFC) programme of activity to develop the sport in the country.

Wai’a said the training is focused on the basics of fustal.

“It will basically feature fustal trainings and skills,” he explained.

Wai’a said the whole aim is to spread the fustal message to interested schools in and around the capital.

The trainings will be conducted through their respective sport masters and arranged according to age groups.

Chung Wah School is one of the first to be visited this week to participate in the coaching activity.

School staff and participating coaches will taught students the various techniques of fustal including trapping, triple and shooting skills.

Wai’a said next year similar activity would be conducted in various provinces. Auki will be the first target.

Forty-five participants completed the coaching training last week.

OFC fustal Development Officer Scott Gilligan conducted the Level One coaching course.

Round three of the Futsal winter state league was a nice night for some close Futsal action at the Sports Halls, Sydney Olympic Park.

In the women’s match of the round Force 10 took on V.I.M with both sides in the top four this was always going to be a close battle. Force 10 were slow out of the blocks with V.I.M dominating the bulk of the possession in the first half however Mel McCauley was only called on to make a the odd save in the Force 10 Goal. Natalie Spirovski had the best chance in the first half after a nice through ball by Amanda Bowering only for McCauley to make a fine one v. one save.

The second half Force 10 took the game to much fancied V.I.M sided and took the lead after a great goal scored by Jo-Anne Saliba. Force 10 was now having great spells of possession and Sarah Yatim and Steph Haaring having good chances to extend the lead but Tani Rosekelly was equal to both efforts in the V.I.M goals. Spirovski was always a threat on the break for V.I.M and linked well with her team mates, however the final pass would just miss its mark on the edge of the “D” reliving the pressure off the Force 10.

With Minutes remaining Renee Tomkins levelled the scores when her tame effort was spilled across the line by Nina Blundell in the Force 10 Goal at Half time. Both sides will be disappointed with the result as it was a chance to break away from the teams around them in the table.

Match Stats

Force 10 1 (Jo-Anne Saliba 23′) drew with V.I.M 1 (Renee Tomkins 32′)
Force 10: 32. M. McCauley, 11. S. Yatim, 10. D. Caridad, 3. C. Tyson, 4. S.Svinos, 8. J. Saliba, 9 S. Harring, 21. N. Blundell.
Yellow Cards: D. Caridad
V.I.M: 21. T. Rosekelly, 3. K. Doyle, 5. R.Tomkins, 8. A. Bowering, 23. J. Kingsley, 4. E.Goss, 7. N. Spirovski, 9. N. Laws, 6. N. LoGuidice
Yellow Cards: N. LoGuidice
Referees: Jono Moore & Bruce Bailey

Other Women’s results from the round three …

Hachies 3 (E. Rugg 32′, C. Turner 33′, 35′) def. Pirates 1 (G. Tseng 8′)
Just 4 Kicks 6 (A. Gauthier 3′, C. Cannuli 12′, H. Buckingham 13′, E. Rodopoulos 30′, 32′, B. Sim Sing 35′) def. Sienna 0
Sydney City Quake 2 (C. Javie 9′, 16′) def. Wadey’s Army 1 (A. Hulme 29′)

In the Men’s Action match of the round pitted two super league clubs against each other with Barcelona taking on Enfield Rovers. In the first half it was a game of missed chances with both sides creating plenty with A. Riccio (Enfield) and J. Becerra (Barcelona) both working overtime in goals for the respective teams. Enfield took the lead thanks to a R. Foti effort that beat the keeper at the near post. Barcelona then equalized the with a nice build up and finish from JP. Foti. With the scores locked at one-one at half time the game was there for the taking.

In the second half Barcelona took the lead when a R.Ristevski effort was too hot for A. Riccio in the Enfield goal and cannoned into the back of the net. It looked like Barcelona would go on with it however R. Foti seemed to inspire the enfield boys and they resposed with 3 quick goals with R.Foti having a scoring one and having a hand in the other two. Barcelona pulled back a consolation goal in the dying minutes but Enfield prevailed to claim the points.

Match Stats

Enfield Rovers 4 (R. Foti 8′, 29′, I. Kerem 30′, S. Tonkin 34′) def. Barcelona 3 (JP. Foti 11′, R. Ristevski 22′, M Faballo 36′)
Enfield Rovers: 1. A. Riccio, 3. A. Cole, 17. I. Kerem, 14. S. Ehlisoydan, 7. R. Foti, 19. S. Tonkin, 9. W. Donato, B. Khoussainou
Yellow Cards: A. Riccio, S. Ehlisoydan
Barcelona: 1. J Becerra, 51. R. Ristevski, 88. R. Martinez, 8. M Faballo, 6. M. Liberatore, 7. J. Albayiati, 5. A. Garreton, 61. JP. Foti
Referees: Owen Ferguson & Bruce Bailey

Other Men’s results from the round three…

Any District 4 (C. Ongaratto 4′, I. Batista 7′, O. De Barros 21′, G. Carniel 30) def. Riff Raff 1 (B. Lam 28′)
Maccabi Maulers 3 (A. Tow 15′, 21′, D. Pozniak 23′) def. Pirates 1 (G. Kaye 16′)
Quake Youth 3 (C. Sheerin 15′, S. Collie 16′, T. Valentino 29′) def. Northern Tigers 2 (D. Ros 14′pen, S. Doran 23′)
Academy 7 (M. Candy 2′, 9′, 15′, 27′, E. Apkaya 17′, A. Cimitile 24′, C. Hanly 33′) def. Futsal4All Phoenix 2 (R. Da Silva 22′, J. Boutkabout 24′)
Dural Warriors WOF def. Sydney Tigers LOF

Ian Skeoch has been recently appointed Head Coach for Sydney Benfica’s women’s squad. In an exciting step forward, Benfica secured the services of this year Football NSW Lightning Women’s coach. Ian is accredited with a Futsal Level Two license and has a vast knowledge of our fantastic sport.

Ian, for the first time in Football NSW history, took a NSW Lightning side all the way to the final, going down narrowly 1-0 to Thunder in this year’s FFA Nationals.

Ian mastered his trade under the watchful eye of Dural’s Rob Varela. Over the past few years he has been Penrith’s reserve grade coach and has also coached youth league at North West Sydney Koalas.

Ian Skeoch, Ross Anderson, Jessica Abi-Sassine and Olympia Avramidis will look at guiding Benfica’s female teams in what is sure to be a most challenging season in the 2009/10 FNSW Futsal Premier League season.

Adopting a style of play exhibited throughout the club over the previous years will without doubt entertain and thrill all.

The club will enter the competition as outsiders, as no Super League club has survived after the first year.

Will this trend continue? Only time will tell.

The countdown to the OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2009 can now begin after the release of the official draw by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

With four teams confirmed, the championship is set to take place from 6-10 July at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.

Match Day 1 action sees Fiji pitted against Vanuatu while New Caledonia will clash with defending champions the Solomon Islands.

The ‘Kurukuru’ team from the Solomon Islands head into the championship as favourites after gaining valuable experience as Oceania’s representative at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. Vanuatu will be up for the challenge having beaten the Solomon Islands 5-1 last year while New Caledonia, who have arguably the best domestic league, are also likely to be strong contenders. Fiji meanwhile have the all-important home advantage so the stage is set for an intriguing title fight.

Since the conception of the OFC Futsal Championship in 1992, the event has been held every four years as part of the qualification process for the FIFA Futsal World Cup tournaments. Fiji 2009 marks the first year of the new annual format for the championship which shows OFC’s commitment to developing futsal by providing meaningful competition on a regular basis.

The popularity of futsal – an indoor form of football played with five players per side and a weighted ball – continues to grow throughout Oceania as a number of Member Associations start to build domestic structures to support the game.

This year’s championship will follow a round-robin format with the top two teams advancing to the final and the remaining teams playing off for third place.

OFC FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIJI 2009

Dates: 6-10 July (Match Days scheduled for 6, 7, 8, 10 July)
Venue: Vodafone Arena, Suva, Fiji
Teams: Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

Draw:
1. Vanuatu
2. Fiji
3. New Caledonia
4. Solomon Islands

Match Day 1 – Monday 6 July
18:00 Vanuatu vs Fiji
20:00 New Caledonia vs Solomon Islands

Match Day 2 – Tuesday 7 July
18:00 Vanuatu vs New Caledonia
20:00 Solomon Islands vs Fiji

Match Day 3 – Wednesday 8 July
18:00 Solomon Islands vs Vanuatu
20:00 Fiji vs New Caledonia

Match Day 4 – Friday 10 July
18:00 3rd Place vs 4th Place
20:00 1st Place vs 2nd Place

OFC FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP – PREVIOUS WINNERS

Year – Host – Winner – Runner Up – Third
1992 – Australia – Australia – New Zealand – Vanuatu
1996 – Vanuatu - Australia – Fiji – Vanuatu
1999 - Vanuatu – Australia – Fiji – Vanuatu
2004 – Australia – Australia – New Zealand – Vanuatu
2008 – Fiji – Solomon Islands – Tahiti – Vanuatu

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Priscilla Duncan
Oceania Football Confederation
Media & Communications
T: +649 526 5651
F: +649 525 8164
M:+64 (0)21 884 018
E: priscilla@oceaniafootball.com

Joel Tiller
Oceania Football Confederation
Media & Communications
T: +649 526 5654
F: +649 525 8164
M:+64 (0)21 994 520
E: joel@oceaniafootball.com

After a very sucessful Provincial School Tournament season the New Zealand Champion of Champions Tournament will take place in Dunedin May 30 – June 1st. The winners and runners-up from each provincial tournament were invited to compete in this tournament and battle it out to be NZ Champions.
From this tournament the winning schools will be invited to the Australasian Champion of Champions to be held in Brisbane at the begining of October.

19 Boys
Linwood College (Canterbury)
Otago Gold (Otago)
Otago Blue (Otago)
Logan Park (Otago)
St Bedes (Canterbury)
Mt Aspiring (Central Otago)

19 Girls
Linwood College (Canterbury)
St Hildas (Otago)
Taieri (Otago)
Mt Aspiring (Central Otago)

16 Boys
Otago Blue (Otago)
Otago Gold (Otago)
Kings High (Otago)
Mt Aspiring (Central Otago)
Bayfield (Otago)

16/14 Girls
Logan Park 16 (Otago)
Otago Girls 16(Otago)
Logan Park 14 (Otago)
Queens 14 (Otago)
Cromwell 16 (Central Otago)

14 Boys
Otago Blue (Otago)
Dunedin North (Otago)
St Bedes (Canterbury)
Mt Aspiring (Central Otago)

A Copy of the draw can be found in the Vikings NZ Schools page or in the library.

The first of the Football Federation Australia Indigenous Football Development Program visits, have been held over the past week in Moree, NSW and Launceston/Hobart in Tasmania and haven proven to be a huge success.

The new initiative by the FFA to steer more indigenous players towards a career in football, kicked off in Moree where over 100 players came along, while the Launceston/Hobart events saw a number of trialists attend for selection in the Indigenous Football Festival tournament that will be held in Townsville later this year.

Darrel Smith, Coach for the NSW U/16 girls’ regional team was accompanied by Indigenous Football Program Mentors, Westfield Matilda and Central Coast Mariners W-League star Kyah Simon and Qantas Futsalroos captain Lachlan Wright.

The visit was not only a participation day for children in and around Moree, but also coincided a trial for the NSW U/16 girls’ regional team. Players from Mungindi, Walgett, Tamworth and Armidale were all involved and the response received in these communities was very positive.

The day included a visit to the Moree East Public School, where Kyah and Lachlan took several skills and drills session with the Year 5 and 6 classes. It’s fair to say that everyone one of the kids that participated in the session were very excited and eager to learn from the two players. As well, the pair gave out McDonald’s vouchers and signed loads of autographs for the kids.

It was then time for the Pre-Schooler’s, who were all just as keen, with one 4-year-old showing he is a talent for the future, with terrific control of the ball for one so young.

After the school visit, the actual participation visit was conducted at Ron Harbourne Oval in Moree. By 4.30pm the number of kids in attendance was over 100, with the NSW U16 girls regional team trialists taken to a different area by Darrel, while Kyah and Lachlan did their best to keep the excited kids occupied on five small-sided fields.

For the trialists, a trip to Townsville later this year to participate in the inaugural Indigenous Football Festival is on offer, so the battle for places was intense.

The day ended with a sausage sizzle and Lachlan and Kyah chatted and signed more autographs.

The FFA would like to thank Darrel, Lachlan, Kyah, Barbara Beady for Moree East PS, Nikki from Moree Football Club and Moree Council for use of some extra lighting. The response and numbers that attended exceeded all expectations and the support and comments from everyone had been very positive in relation to the Indigenous Football Development Program.

Meanwhile in Tasmania, over 30 children were involved in a Indigenous Football Festival participation session on Sunday 17 May in Launceston and Hobart. These sessions were coordinated and conducted by Football Federation Tasmania Game Development Staff.

Indigenous Football Development Program ambassador John Moriarty and coach mentor Fox Sports Football Analyst Andy Harper were in attendance at these sessions and passed on many useful tips to the children. The children ranged from those who played club football in Tasmania to those experiencing football for the first time.

Of special note was the effort that many parents, teachers and children made to travel to the sessions from outside Hobart and Launceston. In particular two young children who travelled to Launceston by charter flight from Cape Barren accompanied by their teacher to take part in the day.

Andy Harper said, “Having seen some of these kids today, the Socceroos and Matildas teams and the FFA elite pathway would benefit greatly in the future, if football could make a meaningful inroad into Indigenous communities.”

Townsville here we come !!!!!!!!

Kurukuru, the National Futsal team have named their final 12-member squad for the Oceania Futsal Championship in Fiji July this year.

As the current Oceania Futsal Champions, the Kurukuru will again have the opportunity to prove in this year’s tournament why they are dubbed the Oceania’s best.

The young national side named their final squad after few months of intensive training.

The squad, which competed in the Futsal World Cup in Brazil last year, also included some new players. Among them is goalkeeper Paul Huia.

Kurukuru’s crowd favourites Captain Elliot Ragomo and Jack Whitney retained their places and are optimistic about the championship.

Both Ragomo and Whitney are expected to torment their Oceania opponents with their speed and silky foot works that won admiration in the country and Fiji last year when they were crowned Oceania Champions.

This week the Kurukuru boys were fortunate to have the service of the Oceania Futsal Development Officer, Scott Gilligan, who assisted in their trainings.

Gilligan is currently in the country conducting a Futsal Coaching Clinic under the ‘Win in Oceania Project’.

He had been a huge help for the Kurukuru in their preparation for the Oceania Championship under their new coach Dickson Kadau.

Kurukuru Final 12 men squad are:

Elliot Ragomo
Jack Whitney
James Egeta
Micah Lealafa
Stanley Puirana
Roni Ginio
Moffat Skwa’ae
Philip Houtarau
Jenan Kapu
Francis Lafai
Junior Lioka (GK)
Paul Huia (GK)

Non-travelling reserves:
Alfred Pamoana
Mathias Sari

Coach: Dickson Kadau

Rivermount College has won its first ever Coomera River Cup (Schools) after an undefeated run in the 14 Girls tournament played at UCSC this evening. In a commanding display, the Rivermount girls accounted for UCSC, Robina SHS and Assisi College to become the 7th different school from the Gold Coast to win a ‘Viking’.

Congratulations to David Perry and his team for a well deserved victory. As always, a big thanks to the refs and officials for their work on the night. For full results click on http://www.isport.com.au/futsal/qcrc/

FINAL RESULTS : 14 GIRLS : MAY 21st, 2009:
ASSISI COLLEGE 1 defeated UCSC 0
RIVERMOUNT COLLEGE 2 defeated UCSC 0
RIVERMOUNT COLLEGE 4 defeated ROBINA SHS 1
UCSC 3 defeated ROBINA SHS 2
RIVERMOUNT COLLEGE 4 defeated ASSISI COLLEGE 2
ASSISI COLLEGE 1 defeated ROBINA SHS 0

FINAL STANDINGS:
1. RIVERMOUNT
2. ASSISI COLLEGE
3. UCSC
4. ROBINA SHS