Rob Varela has sent through some great photos from the Futsalroos recent triumph in Jakarta at the 2010 AFC ASEAN Zone Qualifying Tournament.

Click here for the original file (DOC). We have included the pics seperately below.

2010 AFC ASEAN Zone Qualifying Tournament

1st ROUND = AUSTRALIA 6 vs MYANMAR 1
2nd ROUND = AUSTRALIA 4 vs INDONESIA 1
SEMI FINAL = AUSTRALIA 4 vs VIETNAM 1
GRAND FINAL = AUSTRALIA 3 vs INDONESIA 0

New South Wales Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia insists no team has yet earned the favourites tag as they prepare to kick off their Group B campaign of the maiden AFC Futsal Club Championship against Wuhan Dilong of China at Pirouzi Stadium on Thursday.

The Australians trained in Esfahan for the first time on Monday and are in confident mood as they prepare to vie with Wuhan, Pro’s Cafe of Lebanon, Port Authority of Thailand and Qataris Al Sadd for a place in the semi-finals.

The Thunder recently enlisted Jack Whetney of the Solomon Islands with the tournament in mind and the striker will add a touch of flair to the team, but Amendolia believes the fact that the AFC Futsal Club Championship is the first of its kind in Asia means all nine sides in the competition will start on an equal footing.

When asked who are favourites to win, he said: “It is very hard to say. We don’t know much about the other teams.

“We cannot make any predictions and until we see the first few days of games it will be hard to judge.

“Our group looks hard and we expect each game to be tough. We just want to get past the first game against Wuhan and then take each game as it comes.”

In the other game in the group, Al Sadd open against Pro’s Cafe with Brazilian coach Fabiano Ribeiro confident his side are ready for the tournament.

Al Sadd held a six-day training camp in Egypt before beating the Kuwait national team 3-1 in a friendly prior to arriving in Esfahan and Ribeiro is satisfied with his side’s preparations.

“We had a good training camp in Egypt before playing Kuwait, who are one of the best in the world at futsal,” he said.

“We know this will be a very hard competition with the strongest teams in Asia here so it will be tough.”

Pro’s Cafe coach Rabih Abou Chaaya admitted that while his side – like the rest of the teams in the tournament – are heading into the unknown, they fear no one.

“I think Group B is very strong,” he said.

“All the teams are very experienced and though we don’t know the other teams, they also don’t know us.

“Our first aim to get to the next round but we are not afraid of anyone.”

The top two teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the semi-finals.

With only a few days until kick-off, Australia’s representative side NSW Thunder are all but ready to commence their campaign for the AFC Futsal Club Championship held in Isfahan, Iran.

NSW Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia has assembled 14-man squad ready to do battle against some of Asia’s best clubs.

The NSW Thunder trained for the first time on Monday at the Pirouzi Stadium and from reports really liked the facilities and the world class venue.

The side skippered by goalkeeper Peter Spathis have settled in rather well in their new surroundings in Isfahan while Football NSW’s Acting Futsal Manager Damian Briggs stated that the squad is chomping at the bits in getting ready for their first match.

“The buzz and excitement has really hit fever pitch and I know the squad are ready for battle against Wuhan Dilong.

“It has been a fantastic experience already and I know that each player and coaching staff have already benefited from this once in a life time trip.”

The NSW Thunder consists of 4 Sydney City Eagles, 4 Inner West Allstars, 2 Dural Warriors, 2 Campbelltown City Quake, 1 Mascot Vipers representatives and a player hailing from the Solomon Islands.

Jack Whetney is the Solomon Islands based striker who will no doubt add a touch of flair to the NSW Thunder squad in Iran.

The AFC has finalised the schedule of matches for the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2010 in Isfahan, Iran.

The tournament, for Asia’s top futsal club teams, will be held from March 4-12 at the Pirouzi Stadium in Isfahan.

There are 10 teams taking part and they are divided into two groups of five. The top two in each group advance to the semi-finals.

Group A comprises Foolad Mahan Sepahah, of Iran, Japan’s Nagoya Oceans, Uzbeks Stroitel Zarafshan, AUB Altyn Tash Bishkek, of Kyrgyzstan and Iraq side Nawrouz.

In Group B, the clubs are: Port Authority, of Thailand, China’s Wuhan Dilong, New South Wales Thunder, of Australia, Lebanon’s Pro’s Café and Al Sadd, of Qatar.

The participation of Nawrouz is subject to FIFA lifting its suspension on the Iraq Football Association.

The tournament was scheduled for this year but postponed because of the political situation in Iran at the time.

The match schedule is as follows (all times local. Matches at Pirouzi Stadium):

[F4A Note : It has been pointed out the draw times below are wrong. Match times are 11:30, 14:00 and 16:30. Nawrouz are no longer in the comp

Click here for the official AFC site with the game times and results. Note the gametimes are local time in Iran. We will adjust the times below in the next day or so ]

04/03/10
11:30: Al Sadd (Qatar) v Pro’s Café (Lebanon)
14:00: Nawrouz (Iraq) v Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
16:30: NSW Thunder (Australia) v Wuhan Dilong (China)
19:00: Stroikel Zarafshan (Uzbekistan) v Nagoya Oceans (Japan)

05/03/10
11:30: Al Sadd v NSW Thunder
14:00: Nawrouz v Stroitel Zarafshan
16:30: Pro’s Café v Port Authority (Thailand)
19:00: Bishkek v Foolad Mahan Sepahan (Iran)

06/03/10
11:30: Wuhan Dilong v Pro’s Cafe
14:00: Nagoya Oceans v Bishkek
16:30: Port Authority v Al Sadd
19:00: Foolad Mahan Sepahan v Nawrouz

08/03/10
11:30: Wuhan Dilong v Al Sadd
14:00: Nagoya Oceans v Nawrouz
16:30: NSW Thunder v Port Authority
19:00: Stroitel Zarafshan v Foolad Mahan Sepahan

09/03/10
11:30: Pro’s Café v NSW Thunder
14:00: Port Authority v Wuhan Dilong
16:30: Bishkek v Stroitel Zarafshan
19:00: Foolad Mahan Sepahan v Nagoya Oceans

11/03/10
16:30: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A
19:00: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B

12/03/10
16:30: Third-place play-off
19:00: Final

NSW Thunder Squad 2010

Peter Spathis (Captain) (Sydney City Eagles)
Roberto Maiorana (Inner West Allstars)
Adrian Vizzari (Inner West Allstars)
Lachlan Wright (Inner West Allstars)
Ediz Alpaka (Inner West Allstars)
Chris Zeballos (Sydney City Eagles)
Dylan Maloney Sydney City Eagles
Tudor Vasile (Sydney City Eagles)
Elliot Ragomo (Dural Warriors)
Rhys Giovenali (Dural Warriors)
Dean Lockart (Campbelltown City Quake)
Danny Martinez (Campbelltown City Quake)
Robert Issa (Mascot Vipers)
Jack Whetney (Soloman Islands)

Wow. What an incredible start to the 2010 Qld School Futsal Premier League with the five under 14 boys teams competing at Robina State High School. This success was due to the fantastic organisation, quality refereeing, the coaches and many supporters cheering for all teams.

This year the organisers of the Queensland School Futsal Premier League hired Leo Tottenham, one of the most qualified referees to referee the games. Students from all schools also had the opportunity to learn from the best, with Leo teaching them specific rules while they referee alongside him.

All teams played exceptionally well, there were many close and intense games, for instance the game between Shailer Park SHS and Robina SHS with a goal to Robina in the last 20 seconds of the game, resulting in a three all draw. Assisi College played well and kept on top of the table all night. There was an exceptional match between Albany Creek SHS and Clontarf Beach SHS with a close result of 2-1 to Albany Creek.

It is a great achievement for all teams to play in such a tournament, as many of the boys have only being playing for a year or less. The results and points table for the tournament were as follows:

 

CHAMPION SCHOOL: Assisi College
RUNNER UP: Albany Creek SHS

Point Table

The finals were held after all teams had played each other once. Assisi College and Albany Creek were in the final for the trophy. It was an intense and very close game with the score being 2-1 to Assisi at half time. The end result was 3-2 to Assisi with both teams playing exceedingly well.

The next Premier League round will be held on Friday 30 April for the under 14 girls at The Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane. Hope to see many there! Good luck to all players competing!

AFC has sent its congratulations to all teams who have reached the finals of the AFC Futsal Championship 2010 finals, following the end of the Asean qualifiers last week.

Vietnam became the last team to book their ticket to Tashkent following a 6-3 extra time victory over Malaysia in the third-place play-off.

“We wish to congratulate all (qualified) teams and we wish you all the best in the coming competition,” AFC General Secretary Alex Soosay wrote in a letter to the teams.

Teams who have qualified for the Finals are China, Korea Republic, Chinese Taipei, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Uzbekistan (host), Iran, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

However, Iraq’s participation is subject to the lifting of the suspension of the Iraq FA by FIFA.

The AFC Futsal Championship 2010 will be played in Tashkent from May 23 -30. The draw will take place on March 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel, Tashkent.

Nine-time Champions Iran defeated hosts Thailand 4-0 in the final two years ago.

AFC Futsal Championship 2010 finals line-up

Automatic Qualifiers:

Iran
Japan
Thailand
Uzbekistan (host)

West Zone

Lebanon
Iraq (subject to the lifting of suspension by FIFA)
Kuwait

East Zone

China
Chinese Taipei
Korea Republic

South and Central Zone

Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan

ASEAN Zone

Australia
Indonesia
Vietnam

Multi-award winning Football NSW television produced program Football Stars of Tomorrow is set to return for its fifth season after reaching an agreement with TEN Network’s ONE HD.

Set to commence in June 2010, this unique grassroots program will be broadcast in prime time on the TEN Network’s dedicated sports channel.

Football Stars of Tomorrow Season Five Episode One is scheduled to air on Wednesday, June 23 at 6.30pm with as many as four replays of each episode during the week.

The final episode in the 11 week series will be broadcast on Wednesday July 1st 2010 at 6.30 pm.

Football Stars of Tomorrow recently received its second successive NSW Sport Federation Media Award for the promotion of the sport and will continue to showcase the array of footballing talent across Australia.

Football NSW Executive Manager Commercial Services, Tony Peters is thrilled at the continual recognition the program has received both in terms of awards and also from the television networks.

“ONE HD has a growing football audience and is a natural place for Football Stars of Tomorrow to call home.

“The excellent time slot is a strong vote of confidence in the show and the future of football on commercial television.”

Most of the regular segments will be back for 2010 amongst some new ones set to debut this year.

Star of the Week, Club of the Week, Goal of the Week, Coaching Tips, Celebrity Shootout, Futsal segment, NSW Premier League segment and a focus on the Socceroos will all play a pivotal role in headlining the popular television program on ONE HD.

The Lachlan Tigers were represented at the National Futsal Championships at Canberra from Jan 11 – 14.

The tigers represented NSW Thunder and were part of 2 exhibition games against another representative NSW team the NSW Lightning. In a titanic struggle the difference was a solitary goal to the NSW Lightning at the end of the 2 games.

The event gave the opportunity to not only see some fantastic games of futsal but it also gave the athletes the opportunity to march in the openning ceremony. This was a fantastic opportunity as we marched in the full contingent of the NSW teams and we greeted with rousing applause from the capacity crowd at the Institute of Sport.

As well as being a part of such a great event we got to visit many great sights around Canberra; Parliment House, National Gallery and the standout The Australian War Memorial.

We look forward to being a part of a full event in Canberra in 2011, as Futsal embraces a full competition for athlertes with disabilities.

Winter 2010 Competition Days and Venues are now available :

Start Dates

Monday competitions – 19th April
Tuesdays competitions – 20th April
Wednesdays competitions – 21st April
Thursdays competitions – 22nd April

Fees

IF YOU PLAYED WITH THE NBFA DURING SUMMER YOU ARE ALREADY REGISTERED FOR WINTER AND ONLY PAY MATCH FEES!

Registration cost for this winter season per player are:

Seniors 18 and Over – $50

Match fees for this season per team, per game are as follows:

Seniors 18 and Over – $60 per team, per game

All teams will be invoiced for their match fees once the competition begins. You will have 4 weeks to pay all match fees.

Game Times

Seniors U18+ – 7:00pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm, 9:15pm – 2 x 18 minute halves

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER IN THE COMPETITIONS LISTED BELOW

Competition – Day – Venue

Mens Div 1 – Monday – Curl Curl Community Centre
Mens Div 2 – Monday – KIK OFF Harbord Bowling Club
Mens Div 3 – Monday – KIK OFF Harbord Bowling Club
Mens Div 4 – Wednesday – KIK OFF Harbord Bowling Club
Mens Div 5 – Wednesday – KIK OFF Harbord Bowling Club
Mens Div 6 – Thursday – Forest High School
Mens Div 7 – Thursday – Beacon Hill Memorial Hall
Mens Div 8 – Monday – SOKOL Frenchs Forest
Ladies Div 1 – Tuesday – Manly Vale Bowling Club
Ladies Div 2 – Tuesday – Manly Vale Bowling Club
Ladies Div 3 – Tuesday – Beacon Hill Memorial Hall
Ladies Div 4 – Wednesday – Beacon Hill Memorial Hall
Ladies Div 5 – Thursday – Manly Vale Bowling Club
Mixed – Wednesday – Beacon Hill Memorial Hall
Mixed – Thursday – Curl Curl Community Centre
Mixed – Thursday – Manly Vale Bowling Club

Can’t find your competition here or confused? Email info@nbfa.com.au with any questions.

In the Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) Men’s League 2010, the Tafuna Jets edged out Utulei Youth 3-2 at the ASCC. Tuaoloina Leasiolagi broke the 2-2 deadlock with a game-winning goal just three minutes from time in what was a thrilling match between the two finalists of the FFAS 2009 5-a-side outdoors competition.

The match between Lion Heart and Fagasa produced another nail-biter with Lion Heart eventually winning 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Tama. Tala Luvu had earlier put Lion Heart ahead but Jason of Fagasa kept his side in the match with an equalizer seven minutes from half time.

In other men’s action, Pago Youth A beat their second division team, Pago B, 7-2.

On the women’s side of the draw, Lion Heart lead the competition after securing a win-by-default on Match Day 2 of the competition.

Meanwhile, Fagasa Youth narrowly beat Ilaoa & Toomata 2-1. Lela Waetin drew first blood for Ilaoa & Toomata two minutes into the match but Doreen of Fagasa Youth scored back-to-back goals in quick succession to snatch victory for her side. Doreen beat two defenders and the goalkeeper for her equalizer and then scored the game winner just a minute later.

On Tuesday, March 2, Black Roses and Tafuna Jets will take the court for the first time. Black Roses won the 2006 Futsal tournament and many of the players involved in that victory are also involved in 2010. The talented team will be one of the favourites for this year’s competition.

Story and photo courtesy FFAS Media

The popular Winter Season is just around the corner, with round one starting on Friday the 12th of March. There are no games on the 5th of March as we are taking a break for the Labor Day long weekend.

We have a full competition in all age groups, but please see us asap if you haven’t registered your team yet. The fixtures will be able to be found the same way – by checking the news items and front pages of the website and by looking through the results vault feature of the site. The season will be found under 2010 and the leagues under Winter Season and then the relevant age group.

The competition is sure to be exciting as ever, with the Victorian Championships coming up quickly. There will be more exciting news about this tournament later on this month. Please keep checking the website for any updates.