January 2009 will see two Football West referees head to the east for major tournaments. David Costello will be refereeing at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, whilst Leon Markich has been selected to officiate at the FFA National Futsal Championships in Canberra.

The 5th Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) will be held in Sydney from 14-18 January 2009, and has been held biannually since the first edition in 2001. Football made its debut at the festival in 2007, with four nations involved (Australia, China, Japan & Korea).

The AYOF seeks to provide future Olympic athletes with an environment reminiscent of an Olympic Games and promote the Olympic ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Costello (27), Nollamara, was selected to attend the 2009 AYOF as a referee, having quickly risen through the ranks. After starting his career in Wollongong (NSW), he is currently in the process of completing his FFA Level 1 accreditation course, and is a member of the National Youth League Referees Panel.

The 30th FFA National Futsal Championships will be held in Canberra from 6-10 January 2009, attracting up to 2000 competitors from Australian state and territories as well as several nations within the Oceania region.

Markich (31), Maylands, has been selected to officiate at the National Championships after being invited to participate in the inaugural FFA accredited Futsal course (Level 3) held in Perth earlier this year. This course has only recently been designed by FFA, which will enable consistent teaching of the Futsal laws to all potential referees.

Football West’s Referee Development Manager, Edward Lennie OAM, is proud of both achievements and says it affirms the high level of regard that Western Australian referees enjoy in the East.

“As you can see by these appointments, Football West referees continue to feature prominently in the national arena. This will continue in 2009 with more opportunities for our up and coming match officials.”

Football West wishes both David and Leon the best of luck at their respective tournaments.

Source : Football West
Published : 5/1/2009

Vikings Futsal New Zealand will be represented by 7 teams at the tournament to be played in Sydney Jan 13-18 2009.

Along with the senior men and women the 13girls, 14boys, 16boys, youth girls and boys will take on all comers from around Australia.

It has been a huge task bringing all the players together from around New Zealand for training, along with the organising of Flights and gear over the Christmas period.

The players will not only be playing to win their age group but also for the chance to represent NZ at Future World Tournaments that Vikings Futsal NZ will attend in 2009.

New Zealand sides will also stay on for the Club Team Championships as well to be played Jan 17/18th. Along with the 5 junior age sides Christchurch based side, Fat Cats, will play in the Senior mens section.

Source : Vikings NZ
Published : 6/1/2008

The Timberwolves proved last year they didn’t need to be affiliated with a Capital Football outdoor premier league club to successfully blood young talent.

The futsal club, the only one to start last season without an affiliation, continued to do what it had done so well in recent years provide a place for youngsters to gain experience.

This week, three 17-year-olds Al Davis, Luke Davoren and Hayden O’Kelly from its futsal men’s premier league side will play in the under-19 men’s Cobras team under coach Jamie Richardson.

Richardson, who is also a Timberwolves player, said it was the kind of results the club hoped to achieve.

Richardson coached an ACT under-14 boys team at last year’s nationals but this year has taken on the Cobras team, the reigning champion in its division.

While Richardson has a team that is almost completely different to the one that took out the under-19s national title in Canberra last year, it’s still one he thinks can win.

Last year the Cobras beat the other ACT team, the Colts, in the semi-final before beating NSW in the final.

The new Cobras team is more of a development side. But Richardson has no doubt it’s still talented enough to win back-to-back titles.

”We think we are a really good chance of winning,” Richardson said.

NATIONAL FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Held in Canberra from tomorrow through to Saturday. More details available at www.futsalnationals.com.au

Source : The Canberra Times
By : Merryn Sherwood
Published : 5/1/2009

Name	Miles Downie
Nickname	Mills
Date of Birth	20.02.1982
State/Country you play Futsal in	NSW Australia
What got you started in Futsal?	Manager from Victorian School Boys outdoor team was the coach of the Victorian School Boys Futsal team and said I could come down and trial. Had never heard of Futsal before but fell in Love with it straight away.
What age did you start playing?	19
Preferred on field position	Pivot/Flanker
Current Team/Club you play for	Campbelltown City Quake
Hardest Futsal opponent	Lenisio and Dani Salgado
Favourite Meal	It’s tie between: Gnocchi made by my Regina (My Brasilian Mum), with her special salad made with Mangos. And my Mums Vegetarian Lasagna.
Favourite Hobby	Training
Favourite Team	Manchester United
Favourite Sportsperson	Pele
Favourite Music	Jeff Buckley
Most Memorable Futsal moment on or off the court	Playing at the Asian Cup Qualifiers in first tour with the Australian team. And my first game in Brasil.
Which coach would you say influenced you the most in Futsal and at what age?	Gilly when I first met him when I was 20 and he filled me with Dreams of playing for Australia. As well as Pedigao and Ziquinho since I was 24, who’s constant pursuits and demands of excellence have me with their voices in my head when ever I train.
What was the best tip you’ve ever been taught in Futsal?	Enjoy it. Remember why you play.
What goals do you still want to achieve in Futsal?	Play for Australia at a World Cup. Keep learning, Improving and loving the game more and more. Play in Europe again.
List 3 people you would love to have over for dinner	Gandhi, Aristotle and Marcus Aurelius

Name	Nicholas Hyde
Nickname	Nick
Date of Birth	18.04.1995
State/Country you play Futsal in	NSW Australia
What got you started in Futsal?	Watching my brother play
What age did you start playing?	9
Preferred on field position	Flanker
Current Team/Club you play for	Sydney Benfica FC
Hardest Futsal opponent	Mascot Vipers
Favourite Meal	Lamb Cutlets
Favourite Hobby	Beach
Favourite Team	Liverpool FC
Favourite Sportsperson	Steven Gerrard
Favourite Music	Indie - Electro
Most Memorable Futsal moment on or off the court	2007 State Titles – Sydney Magic 12s
Which coach would you say influenced you the most in Futsal and at what age?	Lorenzo D’Addona
What was the best tip you’ve ever been taught in Futsal?	Put in for your team mates, not yourself
What goals do you still want to achieve in Futsal?	Represent my State
List 3 people you would love to have over for dinner	Gerrard, Torres & Kaka

She has helped the rise of women’s soccer and now Luisa Marzotto would like to do the same for women’s futsal.

Marzotto played the last half of the W-League season in goals for Perth Glory and will line up for the ACT in the 2009 national futsal championships in Canberra this week.

During the competition Marzotto will come up against Matildas and Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri who is expected to line up for Victoria.

Marzotto said futsal, a five-a-side indoor game, was a great way to keep outdoor skills sharp and she hoped it would start to receive more attention on the back of the women’s outdoor game’s growth.

”When I was involved in the national program I know that [current Matildas coach] Tom Sermanni would really encourage it, saying it keeps you sharper, you don’t have to hold on to the ball as long,” Marzotto said. ”I know a lot of coaches have different views on it, but I think it can only help the outdoor game.

”It would be great if maybe in the next year or so, we may get some more coverage and a bit more attention and also a more structured national league.”

Futsal in Canberra has had a makeover this season, reverting to a club system for the ACT premier league. It meant limiting the number of teams in both the top divisions and Marzotto said the women’s league was stronger. ”[In 2008] the comp was a lot better than [the previous] year,” she said. ”[In 2007] there were sort of only two teams that could win it, but [in 2008] there has been four decent teams come through and a lot of young girls coming through that are really good.”

The ACT women’s open team finished fifth last year, but after losing two players to injury in the first two games, having its coach Vanh Manthongsy pull on her boots as an emergency player and trying to adapt to a new style of futsal, Marzotto said the players were happy with how they finished.

”It wasn’t our best year, but I don’t think anyone was overly upset,” Marzotto said. ”We had been trying out a new formation that is a little more complex, but now we are doing that again and now we know it works after playing in the men’s league using it [in 2008].

”We have a few changes to the squad and a bit more speed

”We’ve also got 10 or 11 registered players this year after the injuries we had in the first two games last year, so I think Vanh is preparing us for battle.”

FFA NATIONAL FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Canberra, Tuesday-January 10. More details available at www.futsalnationals.com.au

Source : The Canberra Times
By : Merryn Sherwood
Published : 4/1/2009

Capital Football is preparing to host the 2009 National Futsal Championships with 120 teams coming from interstate and internationally to compete in the week long tournament kicking off in a week’s time.

The National’s will be celebrating two significant milestones next week with the 30th Anniversary since the inception of the Championships in 1980 and the 21st time that Canberra held the most important week in the national Futsal calendar.

“I think it’s fair to say that the ACT has well and truly put Futsal on the map over the 30 years,” Capital Football CEO Heather Reid said.

“I think it only goes to show the confidence that the FFA has in Capital Football to host big events.”

“Being able to host a national championships such as these National Futsal Championships with 120 teams and the ability to find facilities, accommodation and infrastructure to support such an event is important and we’ve proven that Capital Football can achieve the desired results.”

“The game of Futsal continues to improve especially with the connection to Asia we’ve got the opportunity to play in the Asian Championships and hopefully a few more programs for women.”

Tasmania and the Northern Territory are the only two state/territories not to be represented at the upcoming tournament that caters for boys and girls from under 11’s to Open age groups.

The tournament has a history of attracting international competitors and 2009 is no different with the Solomon Island’s returning for another year along with a Men’s Open team from New Caledonia who will be making their national’s debut.

“The tournament is particularly important for those smaller nations within Oceania and it’s an important indication that we need to support those countries even though we’re not longer within the Oceania Football Confederation.”

“We’ve got a competition here that provides them with opportunities to compete against the highest standard of Futsal is the region and let them benchmark themselves against our best.”

“It’s also great for tourism so hopefully they enjoy themselves in Canberra in January.”

The ‘indoor’ national’s made their debut in Melbourne, Victoria in 1980 before moving to Broken Hill, NSW in 1981 where women played for the first time before it returned to its perpetual home in Revesby, NSW in 1982.

The ACT then hosted twenty of the 27 proceeding national’s with the exception of South Australia (1985), Moe, Victoria (1988), Queensland (1991, 2006) and Homebush, NSW (2002,2003).

New South Wales will be the best represented at the Championships with 31 teams competing for titles closely followed by the Australian Capital Territory with 27 while Northern and Southern NSW both have 14 teams respectively traveling.

The 2009 FFA National Futsal Championships kick off Tuesday, 6th January and conclude on the Saturday, 10th January with matches played at various venues across the ACT during the week. For more information visit www.futsalnationals.com.au.

Source : Football Australia
Published : 31/12/2008

The Draw for the Vikings Nationals 2009 has been updated and is available on their website here.

Additional alterations may be made up until the 12th of January so regular checking for those involved is recommended.

Background info on the event is as follows :

REVISED AGE CATEGORIES FOR VENUES

HILL BASKETBALL STADIUM – 10 Boys, 11 Boys, 12 Boys, and 13 Boys
MINTO RECREATION CENTRE – 14 Boys, 15/16 Boys, and 17/Youth Men
MICHAEL WENDEN AQUATIC CENTRE – 12/13 Girls, and 14/15 Girls.
WHITLAM LEISURE CENTRE – 16/Youth Women, Open Women, and Open Men

————-

The National Futsal Championships 2009 will be held in Sydney, proudly hosted by Vikings Futsal Assoc.

The premiere event on the Australasian Calendar will be held from Tuesday 13th January to Thursday 15th January 2009

Open Men and Women National League Finals will be held on Friday 16th January 2009.

REPRESENTIVE CONTINGENTS
Queensland
New South Wales
Victoria
ACT
Tasmania
South Australia
Western Australia

AGE CATEGORIES
MALE – 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15/16, 17/Youth (19 yrs) and Open Men
FEMALE – 12/13, 14/15, 16/Youth (19 yrs) and Open Women

————-

NATIONAL FUTSAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009

DRAW WILL BE RELEASED ON 31st DECEMBER 2008

Following on from the National Futsal Championships, the National Futsal Team Championships will be hosted.

The tournament will see club teams from across Australasia battle it out to become the National Champions for 2009.

Tournament dates are Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th January.

The Winning Open Men’s team will be invited to take part in the World Club Championships in November 2009. The location for the event will be announced at this years Championships in Argentina.

AGE CATEGORIES
MALE – 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Youth
(19 yrs) and Open Men
FEMALE – 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Youth (19 yrs) and Open Women

THE NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE HELD AT
MICHAEL WENDEN AQUATIC CENTRE (Miller)
WHITLAM LEISURE CENTRE (Liverpool)

For further information please contact
Jodie Hammond
Ph: +617 3875 2600
Fax: +617 3275 3099
Email: jodie@vikingsfutsal.com

Source : Vikings Futsal

Saturday the 27th of December will be remembered by many Melbourne Victory supporters as one of the greatest nights in the club’s short history. Melbourne went 2-0 down after just three minutes but managed to claw their way back and beat biggest rivals Sydney 3-2 to spark wild celebrations in the stands.

What a night for Pumas Futsal Club to be involved in! Under 9 player Jack Vivian walked out onto a noisy and intimidating Telstra Dome pitch alongside Victory captain Kevin Muscat in front of 25,300 supporters. The young Pumas player who is also a regular at Melbourne Victory’s away matches was one of three winners in a competition connected to Melbourne Victory’s junior clinics.

The Melbourne – Sydney derby is by far the biggest in Australian football and is a huge occasion for a boy like Jack to be involved in, an experience he will never forget. The atmosphere and passion of the derby was highlighted as Jack walked out to see the entire Melbourne Victory home end engulfed in orange flare smoke with a large banner directed at the traveling Sydney supporters which said “Welcome to Hell” (as seen below).

A Pumas playing shirt with a short message was presented to Kevin Muscat during the warm up and the club is very proud to be involved in such a huge occasion. Jack was the first Pumas player to walk out into the intense Melbourne-Sydney derby in a Victory shirt and we hope many more will follow in the future.

Go Melbourne Victory and Go PUMAS!

Source : Pumas Futsal
Published : 29/12/2008

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has invited 10 Member Associations to take part in the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship 2009.

One Futsal Club side each from Australia, China, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Qatar, Thailand and Uzbekistan will take part in the July 4-12 tournament at a venue yet to be announced.

For the inaugural edition, the AFC Futsal Club Committee decided to make it an invitation event and each Member Association has been asked to nominate their Futsal national league champions for the tournament.

The 10 clubs will be divided into two groups of five. After a single round-robin, the top two teams advance to the semi-finals. The draw for the tournament will be held on April 30.

In order to strengthen future editions of this tournament, AFC is encouraging Associations to plough more resources into lifting the standard of Futsal in Asia.

Source : AFC
Via : Sutherland Shire Futsal
Published : 29/12/2008