Power of Five - August 2013 by Digital Normal Limited

ISSN 2324-3813

THE MAGAZINE OF NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL FUTSAL

ISSUE 8 AuGUST 2013

PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

OFC FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL ASB JUNIOR FESTIVAL & YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS w Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Five” Black ASBPower TRANSof TASMAN CUP & White ‘Kicking it all year round’ NOran Abaza Interview

Danniel Burns was one of the outstanding peformers for the Futsal Whites during the OFC Championship Invitational. His crucial goal in the third place playoff against Tahiti ensured New Zealand finished as the top Oceania side at the tournament. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

WELCOME...

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Welcome to the second edition of the Power of Five for 2013. I write this introduction with a grin on my face and bags under the eyes! It has been a long and successful three months since the last issue. For the first time ever the Futsal Whites have become the kings of Oceania, the NZF Futsal Road Shows have toured four regions engaging with participants from over thirty clubs and colleges and thousands of members of the general public, over a 150 games of representative futsal at the Junior and Youth Nationals with the ASB Trans Tasman Cup for dessert in the evenings and... two weeks of futsal coverage, much of it live on free to view television. With the football season coming to a conclusion the new futsal season will soon begin a pilot year of introducing and integrating futsal into football clubs, schools and colleges. New Zealand Football through its federation delivery model can begin the process of “Kicking it All Year Round” with organised opportunities in all formats of the game now on offer throughout the year. As always a big thanks to the committed futsal community and a welcome to all its new friends as we continue to rapidly grow. Also, thanks to ASB for the continued support of futsal development at all levels of the game. Yours in futsal Dave Payne NZF Futsal Development Manager

PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

Futsalroo Mark Symington tangles with Futsal White Dylan Manickum in Game One of the Trans Tasman Cup in Wellington. PHOTO: PHOTOMAC

ASB TRANS TASMAN CUP New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

FUTSALROOS Retain trophy in wellington three match SERIES

Match One – 19 JULY 2013 ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Futsal Whites downed in Game One New Zealand 0 Australia 3 (Seeto, Giovenali, Fogarty) Wellington – Australia took first blood in the second ASB Trans Tasman Cup with a 3-0 victory over the Futsal Whites. It was a closely fought match between the Australian Futsalroos, ranked 27th internationally by FIFA, and New Zealand’s Futsal Whites, ranked 76th, in the first of three games in the ASB Trans Tasman Cup on Friday night in front of a strong crowd at the ASB Sports Centre in the capital. This is only the second time the ASB Trans Tasman Cup has been contested, and Australia were looking for a repeat of last year’s performance where they won all three games in a clean sweep. The Roos were also coming off a competitive performance at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand, where they beat Mexico 3-1 in the group stage. Australia started the game confidently, and scored just five minutes into the first

half through Tobias Seeto. Their second goal came just three minutes later through Wade Giovenali. Despite conceding early, the Futsal Whites remained competitive in the game and had their chances. “I think the whole game was positive for us,” said Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan. “The first five minutes I thought we were on top. We lost a goal through not following a runner, and a silly goal from a corner where we didn’t mark up.” The half time talk from Gilligan had the desired impact, with the players coming out strong in the second half creating a series of chances that Australian keeper Gavin O’Brien was equal to. “I thought the second half we matched them and had more chances than them,” continued Gilligan. “Their keeper was just too good tonight.” Despite the Futsal Whites creating several chances in the second half and frustrating the Futsalroos the game was effectively over when Daniel Fogarty beat his defender, drew out Futsal White goal keeper Atta Elayyan and dribbled the ball in for Australia’s third goal. The goal fired up the Futsal Whites, with some great attacking play in the final minutes. James Vaughan applied great

pressure to the Roos, pushing them into unforced errors and intercepting the ball with some feisty tackles. In the dying seconds the Futsal Whites had their closest opportunity yet, with a fantastic shot by De Silva hitting the cross bar. “If you compare tonight’s game to the three games we played last year I think we’ve improved a lot,“ said Gilligan. “I’m impressed with what they did tonight. I thought we deserved a goal. We were a bit unlucky, we hit the crossbar but all credit to the boys, I think they done well.”

New Zealand: Bakr AL-SAUDI; Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM; Daniel BALL; Tai BARHAM; Elias BILLEH; Daniel BURNS; Lucas CORDEIRO OSORIO DA SILVA; Marvin EAKINS; Matthew EDRIDGE; Atta ELAYYAN; Miroslav MAJOR; Miroslav MALIVUK; Dylan MANICKUM; Kareem OSMAN; David PLOWRIGHT; Ouadhah RAGUED; Jakub SINKORA; James VAUGHAN. Coach: Scott GILLIGAN

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Match TWO – 20 JULY 2013 ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Two from two for Futsalroos New Zealand 0 Australia 4 (Zeballos, Giovenali, Seeto, Musumeci) Wellington – The Futsalroos made it two from two after defeating the Futsal Whites 4-0 in the Trans Tasman Cup.

After the Futsal Whites put up a gallant effort in the first game, the game started no-holds-barred from both sides eager for the win. The Futsal Whites came out firing and had several chances early on, including a shot on goal from Vaughan that was saved by Australian keeper Konstantinou.

Ten minutes into the first half, the Futsal Whites reached their five-foul limit, meaning any further foul would be an automatic penalty from the second penalty spot, ten metres from the goal line. Two minutes later the inevitable happened and a foul was given away by the Futsal Whites.

Both sides showed an extra feistiness that was translated into cards and fouls that were missing from the first game.

Futsalroos Captain and scorer from the first game, Giovaneli, stepped up to take, but Futsal White keeper Billeh did well to save.

Futsalwhite pivot Daniel Ball in action against Daniel Fulton. PHOTO: PHOTOMAC

PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

Australia scored their first goal after the Futsal Whites were awarded a free kick, which went straight to the Futsalroos. They broke quickly to allow Zeballos to slot the ball into the back of the net. Both sides had chances several chances, however it was the Futsalroos with another break away attack that made it 2-0. Giovaneli, who looked dangerous throughout the game, received the ball in front of goal and scored to give the Australians a 2-0 lead going into the break. The Futsalroos came out strong in the second half – Greg Giovaneli opened with a shot that ricocheted off the bar, followed by a powerful shot from the right that just skimmed over the cross bar. Lucas De Silva and Daniel Burns were both strong in the middle for the Futsal Whites, with Malivuk doing well in a defensive role. Vaughan and Captain Marvin Eakins both created opportunities but couldn’t finish their chances. Konstantinou delivered a throw down the length of the court which found Seeto, who tapped the ball into the goal to make it 3-0. Minutes later, the Futsalroos were

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

awarded a free kick. Seeto passed the ball to Adam Cooper who took a powerful shot. Billeh saved but Musumeci scored the follow up to make it 4-0. “We’ve shown so many glimpses of what we can achieve and if we can eradicate these little mistakes that we do make then I reckon we can push Australia, if not knock them over,” said Futsal White captain Marvin Eakins after the game. To Eakins the difference between the two teams is simply taking the opportunities. “That seems to be the difference between the two teams. Give Australia a sniff and they’ll take it nine times out of ten. At the moment we can’t buy a goal.” With one more game to play in the Trans Tasman Cup Eakins is looking ahead.

“A lot of people have come down and wellington has really got behind us. To get a result tomorrow would be huge. We’ve never beaten Australia. It’s a good opportunity.”

New Zealand: Bakr AL-SAUDI; Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM; Daniel BALL; Tai BARHAM; Elias BILLEH; Daniel BURNS; Lucas CORDEIRO OSORIO DA SILVA; Marvin EAKINS; Matthew EDRIDGE; Atta ELAYYAN; Miroslav MAJOR; Miroslav MALIVUK; Dylan MANICKUM; Kareem OSMAN; David PLOWRIGHT; Ousdhah RAGUED; Jakub SINKORA; James VAUGHAN. Coach: Scott GILLIGAN

Match THREE – 21 JULY 2013 ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Futsalroos take clean sweep New Zealand 0 Australia 7 (Fulton, Giovenali, Zeballos, Lockhart, Cooper 3) Wellington – The Futsalroos completed a clean sweep in the ASB Trans Tasman Cup with a comfortable 7-0 win against a much-changed Futsal Whites team. With the Cup won the previous night both teams were looking ahead to next week’s OFC Invitational Championship with

Futsal White Dylan Manickum manages to get his shot away despite the attention of Daniel Fulton, Marin Musimeci and Dean Lockhart. PHOTO: PHOTOMAC

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Australia in particular experimenting with the flying keeper tactic. Two quick, early goals for Australia meant the Futsal Whites were always on the back foot. Foulton and Giovenali scored very early in the half giving Australia the comfort of a lead to enable them to use Seeto as a flying keeper. Barham almost pulled one back for New Zealand, beating the keeper but finding the Futsalroos back line well organised to clear almost off the line. Manickum also had a good chance with Seeto in play leaving the goal clear, but pulled his long range effort just wide. With the extra man the Futsalroos were playing the ball around well, and their

third goal came from Seeto, pulling the strings as the flying keeper, taking a powerful shot that Zeballos managed to direct into the goal. Frustration crept into the Futsal Whites game and a series of fouls led to Lockhart rifling in a powerful free kick to make it 4-0 at half time. The second half started brightly for the Futsal Whites with Malivuk and Manickum both with good opportunities to score New Zealand’s first goal in this year’s tournament but again O’Brien in the Australian goal was too good to beat. Cooper made it five for the Futsalroos after Major was sent off leaving the Futsal Whites down to three outfield players.

Australia’s Futsalroos line up before Game 2 of the Trans Tasman Cup. PHOTO: PHOTOMAC

Australia took advantage straight away bringing Seeto in as flying keeper to make it five against three. Cooper grabbed his second of the game with the extra man again making the difference and completed his hat trick soon after with the final goal of the game ending the score 7-0. New Zealand: Bakr AL-SAUDI; Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM; Daniel BALL; Tai BARHAM; Elias BILLEH; Daniel BURNS; Lucas CORDEIRO OSORIO DA SILVA; Marvin EAKINS; Matthew EDRIDGE; Atta ELAYYAN; Miroslav MAJOR; Miroslav MALIVUK; Dylan MANICKUM; Kareem OSMAN; David PLOWRIGHT; Ousdhah RAGUED; Jakub SINKORA; James VAUGHAN. Coach: Scott GILLIGAN

FEMALES at FOREFRONT New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

futsal Links with NZ schools to launch innovative new programme A girls-only high school in Dunedin is at the forefront of an innovative new futsal in schools programme with the backing of New Zealand Football. Females taking up futsal in New Zealand are on the rise. Eight schools around the country are piloting the programme in which students can gain credits towards NCEA Level 1, with Queen’s High School in Dunedin the first to roll out the Sport in Education project. Organising lesson plans and trialling them on other students, the Year 11 physical education students will then head to a local primary school to teach the game to students there. A futsal festival run at the primary school – organised and run by Queen’s students – will be the project’s big finish. NZF futsal development manager Dave Payne says the project has great potential for futsal development around the country. “What we would like to see in the long-term are students who can run futsal in schools themselves. It is a holistic approach to futsal development,” Payne says. “We are creating a pathway from the existing primary level with this as the next step, then through to university.

We are creating staff to help develop the game because it’s growing so fast it’s hard to keep up.”

futsal they love it and we begin to see that life-long love affair with football begin.”

The majority of the eight schools piloting the scheme are co-ed institutions, but NZF women’s development manager Emma Humphries says futsal has a special part to play in attracting more girls to football.

Karen Palmer is the Sport in Education project leader at Queen’s High School and says the programme will provide valuable experience in non-playing aspects of the game.

“What is particularly attractive about futsal to young girls is the one-venue format is somewhat familiar plus the game requires fewer players and less time investment so there are fewer barriers to creating a team,” Humphries says.

“It’s a great honour for Queen’s High School to be part of the project,” Palmer says.

“As with outdoor football, once girls try

Solomon Islands’ Sammy Osifelo and Futsal Whites skipper Marvin Eakins battle for supremacy during New Zealand’s historic 7-3 victory in Auckland. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

ofc futsal invitational New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

FUTSAL WHITES STUN SOLOMon islands, new caledonia and tahiti to FINISH TOP OCEANIA SIDE Match One – 23 JULY 2013 The Trusts Arena, Auckland

Futsal Whites stun champions for seven New Zealand 7 (Manickum 5, Osman, Vaughan) solomon islands 3 (Osifelo, Bule, Lea’alafa) AUCKLAND – Dylan Manickum was the star of the show with five goals as the Futsal Whites demolished defending champions Solomon Islands 7-3 in their opening game in the OFC Futsal Championship Invitational in Auckland. Still smarting from their three-match Trans Tasman Cup loss to Australia over the weekend, the Futsal Whites came out faster than the Kurukuru, whose last international was a win over Guatemala in their final group match at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2012. An early goal from Manickum gave New Zealand the confidence to play their game and despite pressure from Solomon Islands, including Lea’alafa hitting the woodwork, it was Manickum again who would take control just before the end of the first half.

Two quick goals with only one minute left on the clock from Manickum gave the Futsal Whites a commanding first half lead. Three wasn’t enough for Manickum as minutes into the second half he grabbed two more goals to give New Zealand a 5-0 lead. The night only got worse for the Kurukuru when Jack Wetney was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. New Zealand were quick to capitalise as James Vaughan slotted in the side’s sixth goal and soon their seventh from Osman. Solomon Islands finally got into the game in the last minute of the match scoring three consecutive goals as the Futsal Whites tired. New Zealand coach Scott Gilligan was incredibly pleased his side could notch up a win after a tough string of international losses. “We’re superbly happy, what can I say? It was a great game from us, we were 7-0 up and I think we lost our heads a bit at the end there but it was a fantastic performance,” Gilligan said. “I think it helped that we had played a few games against Australia leading up to the tournament because Australia are much faster than most of the teams in Oceania.” The New Zealand Invitational side went

down 9-0 to Australia despite a spirited performance. With a healthy 3-0 cushion at half time the Australians used the second half to trial the flying goalkeeper tactic they’d also called on against the Futsal Whites during the Trans Tasman Cup, with Captain Tobias Seeto assuming the role. Australia asserted their dominance netting six times in the second period to take a 9-0 victory. Invitational coach Simon Mead said he is proud of the side especially as they have only been together less than a week. “We’re here to learn and become better players, some of these younger guys have a much bigger picture ahead of them with the World Cup qualifiers in a couple of years,” Mead said. “If we can give them international experience at this level then that’s what we’re here for.” In the other games on Day 1 Tahiti came back from behind to beat Vanuatu 5-3 and Malaysia defeated New Caledonia 8-3.

New Zealand: 1 - Atta ELAYYAN (GK), 3 Dylan MANICKUM, 7 -Marvin EAKINS (c), 8 - Daniel BURNS, 14 - Tai BARHAM Substitutes: 2 - James VAUGHAN, 4 - Ouadhah RAGUED, 5 - Miro MAJOR, 6 - Kareem OSMAN, 9 - Jakub SINKORA, 15 - Micky MALIVUK, 18 - Elias BILLEH (GK). Coach: Scott GILLIGAN (AUS)

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

and OFC was ldemonstrated as the Futsal Whites were knocked for seven by Asian representative’s Malaysia in their second group game of the OFC Futsal Invitational Championship.

Match TWO – 24 JULY 2013 The Trusts Arena, Auckland

Futsal Whites knocked for seven New Zealand 1 (Manickum) Malaysia 7 (Bahrin 2, Zamri, Mohd Ali, Hasan, Ambiah, Mohamad) AUCKLAND – The difference between AFC

The 7-1 defeat meant that the Futsal Whites had to win their final group game against New Caledonia to proceed to the semi finals. “AFC is a standard above OFC and it showed tonight,” said Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan.

“We didn’t have the intensity we did last night and paid the price. The next match is now very important, it’s a must win for us.” Despite a bright start from the Futsal Whites, Malaysia opened the scoring against the run of play, from Bahrin. Further goals from Zamri, Mohamad and Hasan put Malaysia 4-0 up in the first half before Dylan Manickum gave the Futsal Whites hope for the second half. Following his five goal salvo in the opening game it was Manickum’s sixth of the tournament. Hope of a comeback was quickly stifled early in the second half as quick goals from Ambiah, Bahrin and Mohamad gave Malaysia an unassailable 7-1 lead. Malaysia technical advisor Marcelo Serpa Coelho felt his side’s ruthlessness in front of goal proved the difference. “New Zealand played well but they couldn’t get the ball in,” he said. “There are days when the ball goes in and days when it doesn’t but we were lucky today with scoring.” Earlier in the day the New Zealand Invitational side narrowly lost 2-0 to Tahiti, Solomon Islands beat New Caledonia 7-3, and Australia beat Vanuatu 6-1.

New Zealand: 1. Atta ELAYYAN (GK), 3. Dylan MANICKUM, 7. Marvin EAKINS (c), 8. Daniel BURNS, 14. Tai BARHAM Substitutes: 2. James VAUGHAN, 4. Ouadhah RAGUED, 5. Miro MAJOR, 6. Kareem OSMAN, 9. Jakub SINKORA, 15. Micky MALIVUK, 18. Elias BILLEH (GK) Coach: Scott GILLIGAN (AUS) Goalkeeper Atta Elayaan is forced into action against a rampant Malaysia during the Futsal Whites’ 7-1 defeat in Auckland. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Match THREE – 25 JULY 2013 The Trusts Arena, Auckland

Futsal Whites book semi-final place

Kareem Osman lines up a shot in the Futsalwhites’ 7-2 victory over New Caledonia. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

New Zealand 7 (Burns 2, og, Manickum 2, Eakins, Sinkora) New Caledonia 2 (Paulet, Pourouoro) AUCKLAND – The Futsal Whites booked their place in the OFC Futsal Championship Invitational with an impressive 7-3 win against New Caledonia. Dylan Manickum, Daniel Burns, Marvin Eakins, and Jakub Sinkora all scored to set up a semi final against Trans-Tasman rivals Australia on Friday. New Zealand needed a result against New Caledonia to have any hope of making it into the semi finals. Daniel Burns opened the floodgates for the Futsal Whites less than two minutes into the half before adding one more for his brace. New Caledonia responded through Malik Paulet and captain Yvan Pourouoro’s brace but their case wasn’t helped when Dylan Manickum’s shot was deflected in for an own goal. Manickum managed to get on the board twice as he leapt ahead in the Golden Boot race, while teammates Marvin Eakins and Jakub Sinkora also scored to give the Futsal Whites a 7-3 victory.

“Tonight we were sloppy. They were really nervous to start with and the second half was a bit better, we played with a bit more composure. The first half we started to panic but I think that’s the monkey off the back for them and they’ll be ready for the semi-final now.”

Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan said nerves showed in the first half with the pressure of advancing to the next stage in their own hands.

In other games, the NZ Invitational side were defeated 7-4 by Vanuatu, Australia ran out 2-0 winners against Tahiti, and Malaysia won 4-1 against Solomon Islands.

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Match FOUR – 26 JULY 2013 The Trusts Arena, Auckland

Futsal Whites suffer semi final loss Australia 2 (Zeballos 2) New Zealand 0 AUCKLAND – The Futsal Whites suffered a heartbreaking semi final 2-0 loss to Australia at the OFC Futsal Championship Invitational at The Trusts Arena, Auckland last night. It was the fourth time the Futsal Whites and Australia had met in the past week with Australia clear favourites having completed a 3-0 sweep at the Trans Tasman Cup in Wellington the previous weekend. Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan changed his tactics from the Trans Tasman cup, defending deeper, waiting for Australia to make a mistake and looking to capitalise on quick turnovers. The plan was working to perfection, frustrating Australia and limiting them to few half chances and long range efforts. Heartbreak came just nine seconds before the end of the first half. Good footwork from Daniel Fogarty allowed him space to play the ball in to Chris Zeballos who finished expertly with a back heel. Both Daniel Burns and Kareem Osman had great chances to level the scores in the second half but with the goal advantage Australia kept the ball and limited the Futsal Whites to sporadic attacks. The Futsal Whites dreams of the final were ended when Zeballos grabbed his second

with just 46 seconds left on the clock.

lose possession.”

Coming on the back of three heavy defeats to Australia in the Trans Tasman cup it was a big improvement from the Futsal Whites.

Australia meet follow Asian guests Malaysia in the final after they defeated Tahiti in a dramatic 4-3 victory on penalties after the game ended 3-3.

Coach Gilligan remains keen to see further improvement. “Defensively I’m happy but on attack we still need some work,” he said. The Futsal Whites would meet Tahiti – a side that defeated the touring New Zealand 3-0 on aggregate in a recent series – in the play-off for third on Saturday and Gilligan believed it would be a close encounter. “Tahiti are improving all the time but I think they’re in the same position as us in that both of us need to improve in the attack. I think they stay back a bit too deep defensively but they capitalise on it if you

Earlier in the day the NZ Invitational side beat New Caledonia 4-2 to finish 7th in the tournament with Solomon Islands returning to form to beat Vanuatu 11-5 to claim 5th place.

New Zealand: 18. Elias BILLEH (GK), 3. Dylan MANICKUM, 4. Ouadhah RAGUED, 7. Marvin EAKINS (c), 15. Micky MALIVUK. Substitutes: 1. Atta ELAYYAN (GK), 2. James VAUGHAN, 5. Miro MAJOR, 6. Kareem OSMAN, 9. Jakub SINKORA, 8. Daniel BURNS, 14. Tai BARHAM. Coach: Scott GILLIGAN [AUS]

Futsalroo skipper Tobias Seeto, who took out the Golden Ball for Player of the Tournament. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Match FIVE– 27 JULY 2013 The Trusts Arena, Auckland

Futsal Whites crowned ‘Kings of Oceania’ New Zealand 1 (Burns) tahiti 0 AUCKLAND – The Futsal Whites defeated Tahiti 1-0 in the 3rd place play off at the OFC Futsal Championship Invitational to become kings of Oceania. With Asian invitational sides Australia and Malaysia competing in the final it was the 3rd place play off game between New Zealand and Tahiti that would decide the Oceania champions. Having defeated the Futsal Whites earlier in the year Tahiti were favourites coming into the game, but the Futsal Whites were determined to avenge that defeat and show just how far they had come since that tour. With both teams showing resilience in defence throughout the tournament the game always looked to be a tight affair, with a set piece or mistake proving the difference. And so it proved to be as New Zealand were given a free kick in dangerous area in just the 5th minute. Marvin Eakins pulled the ball back to Daniel Burns, who calmly slotted the ball into the corner through a crowded defence. It was the perfect start for the Futsal Whites, enabling them to retain their defensive shape and look for a second goal on the break.

Futsalwhites line up for their eight game in nine days - the 3rd place playoff with Tahiti. PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

Elias Billeh was forced into action several times as Tahiti searched for an equaliser, getting more and more frustrated as the Futsal Whites defence held firm. Their epic semi final defeat to Australia, having gone all the way to penalties, was to prove a factor as they visibly tired throughout the game. With some heroic defending from everyone on the court Tahiti ran out of ideas and as the clock ticked down reverted to the flying goalkeeper tactic to utilise the extra man. It almost paid off in the final seconds as a ball into the box caused momentary panic before goalscoring hero Dylan Manickum turned defensive hero as he cleared off the line with only seconds left on the clock. Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan said a sensational performance from his side gave them the edge on this occasion. “We played with Tahiti’s strength in defence tonight. I think we kept possession superbly in the first half, we got the goal which helped us of course, but our concentration was making sure we didn’t concede,” Gilligan said.

Looking ahead to the next FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers Gilligan said his team will have to continue building on the foundations they have laid during this tournament. “The qualifiers are a whole different ball game again. It’s been a tremendous job by these guys but they have to keep working at it because I know these guys (Tahiti) are going to come back even stronger in 2015.” In the final Australia marked their return to Oceania with a thrilling 5-1 victory against Malaysia. Dylan Manickum won the Golden Boot with eight goals, five of which came in his first match against Solomon Islands, while the Futsal Whites also secured The Fair Play award.

New Zealand: 18. Elias BILLEH (GK), 3. Dylan MANICKUM, 7. Marvin EAKINS (c), 8. Daniel BURNS, 15. Micky MALIVUK. Substitutes: 2. James VAUGHAN, 4. Ouadhah RAGUED, 5. Miro MAJOR, 6. Kareem OSMAN, 9. Jakub SINKORA, 14. Tai BARHAM, 1. Atta ELAYYAN (GK). Coach: Scott GILLIGAN (AUS)

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

OFC FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL TRUST ARENA 23-27 JULY 2013 GROUP A New Caledonia Malaysia

3 8

Malik PAULET, Landry PARAWAI, Yvan POUROUORO Abu HASAN 2, Asmie ZAHARI, Shamsul ZAMRI 2, Qaiser ABDUL KADIR, Nizam MOHD ALI, Khairul MOHD BAHRIN

Solomon Islands New Zealand

3 7

Samuel OSIFELO, Jeffery BULE, Micah LEA’ALAFA Dylan MANICKUM 5, James VAUGHAN, Kareem OSMAN

Solomon Islands

New Caledonia

Samuel OSIFELO 2, Coleman MAKAU, Jeffery BULE, Elliot RAGOMO 2, Micah LEA’ALAFA Thierry WAIMA, Yvan POUROUORO 2, Eric SAIHULIWA

Malaysia

New Zealand

New Caledonia

Khairul MOHD BAHRIN 2, Shamsul ZAMRI, Nizam MOHD ALI, Abu HASAN, Firdaus AMBIAH, Fawzul MOHAMAD Dylan MANICKUM Daniel BURNS 2, own goal, Dylan MANICKUM 2, Marvin EAKINS, Jakub SINKORA Malik PAULET, Yvan POUROUORO

Malaysia 4 own goal, Khairul MOHD BAHRIN 2, Asmie ZAHARI Solomon Islands 1 Micah LEA’ALAFA

GROUP B

Tahiti 5 Mote TINO 4, Teivarii KAIHA Vanuatu 3 Nalpinie IASI, Ben HUNGAI, Donald AVOCK NZ Invitational Australia

0 9

Tahiti NZ Invitational

2 0

Mana FAARAHIA, Gaby KAVERA

Australia Vanuatu

6 1

Daniel FOGARTY 4, Mark SYMINGTON, Adam COOPER Albert THO

Vanuatu NZ Invitational

7 4

Pakoa RAKOM 3, Ben HUNGAI 2, Dudley DOMINIQUE, Jacky JOHN Matthew EDRIDGE, Charl COMPAAN, Jan FISCHER, Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM

Australia Tahiti

2 0

own goal, Adam COOPER

Caledonia 7/8 New NZ Invitational

2 4

Yvan POUROUORO, Eric SAIHULIWA Mohamed KAMRI 2, own goal, Mitchell WEBBER

7/8 SOLOMON ISLands

Mark SYMINGTON 2, Adam COOPER, Marino MUSUMECI 3, Toby SEETO, Daniel FULTON, Chris ZEBALLOS

Jeffery BULE 4, Atana FA’ARODO 2, George STEVENSON 2, Elliot RAGOMO, Coleman MAKAU, Micah LEA’ALAFA VANUATU 5 Albert THO, Ben HUNGAI 2, Jacky JOHN, Pakoa RAKOM

Fawzul MOHAMAD 2, Khairul MOHD BAHRIN SF Malaysia 3 TAHITI 3 Mote TINO, Antoine TAVE, Jacob TUTAVAE Chris ZEBALLOS 2 SF australia 2 new zealand 0 tahiti o 3/4 New zealand 1 Daniel BURNS

malaysia 1 Qaiser ABDUL KADIR Australia 5 Toby SEETO 3, Adam COOPER, Wade GIOVENALI

TABLES Group A P W D L F A GD Pts Malaysia 3 3 0 0 19 5 14 9 New Zealand 3 2 0 1 15 12 3 6 Solomon Islands 3 1 0 2 11 15 -4 3 New Caledonia 3 0 0 3 9 22 -13 0 Group A Australia Tahiti Vanuatu NZ Invitational

GOALSCORERS

P W D L F A GD Pts 3 3 0 0 17 1 16 9 3 2 0 1 7 5 2 6 3 1 0 2 11 15 -4 3 3 0 0 3 4 18 -14 0

Dylan MANICKUM New Zealand (NZL) Khairul MOHD BAHRIN Malaysia (MAS) Jeffery BULE Solomon Islands (SOL) Mote TINO Tahiti (TAH) Pakoa RAKOM Vanuatu (VAN) Adam COOPER Australia (AUS) Fawzul MOHAMAD Malaysia (MAS) Ben HUNGAI Vanuatu (VAN) Mark SYMINGTON Australia (AUS) Daniel FOGARTY Australia (AUS) Daniel BURNS New Zealand (NZL) Yvan POUROUORO New Caledonia (NCL) Micah LEA’ALAFA Solomon Islands (SOL) Toby SEETO Australia (AUS) Marino MUSUMECI Australia (AUS) Elliot RAGOMO Solomon Islands (SOL) Eric SAIHULIWA New Caledonia (NCL) Abu HASAN Malaysia (MAS) Chris ZEBALLOS Australia (AUS) Samuel OSIFELO Solomon Islands (SOL) Shamsul ZAMRI Malaysia (MAS) Jacky JOHN Vanuatu (VAN) Asmie ZAHARI Malaysia (MAS) Qaiser ABDUL KADIR Malaysia (MAS) Atana FA’ARODO Solomon Islands (SOL) Mohamed KAMRI NZ Invitational (INV) George STEVENSON Solomon Islands (SOL) Albert THO Vanuatu (VAN) Charl COMPAAN NZ Invitational (INV) Teivarii KAIHA Tahiti (TAH) Mana FAARAHIA Tahiti (TAH) Wade GIOVENALI Australia (AUS) Dudley DOMINIQUE Vanuatu (VAN) Malik PAULET New Caledonia (NCL) Nizam MOHD ALI Malaysia (MAS) Gaby KAVERA Tahiti (TAH) Daniel FULTON Australia (AUS) Mainon KAOUWI New Caledonia (NCL) Landry PARAWI New Caledonia (NCL) Jakub SINKORA New Zealand (NZL) Mitchell WEBBER NZ Invitational (INV) Jan FISCHER NZ Invitational (INV) Kareem OSMAN New Zealand (NZL) Nalpinie IASI Vanuatu (VAN) Marvin EAKINS New Zealand (NZL) Antoine TAVE Tahiti (TAH) Coleman MAKAU Solomon Islands (SOL) Firdaus AMBIAH Malaysia (MAS) Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM NZ Invitational (INV) Loic CAUNES New Caledonia (NCL) Matthew EDRIDGE NZ Invitational (INV) Thierry WAIMA New Caledonia (NCL) Donald AVOCK Vanuatu (VAN) Jacob TUTAVAE Tahiti (TAH) James VAUGHAN New Zealand (NZL)

8 6 6 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2013* Calendar

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

9-11 August

Dedicated Futsal Season Road Show (featuring Futsal Whites) Auckland

30 August-1 September

Dedicated Futsal Season Road Show (featuring Futsal Whites) Dunedin

2-6 September

Futsal Whites Head Coach Visits Christchurch

6-8 September

Dedicated Futsal Season Road Show (featuring Futsal Whites)

9-13 September

FIFA Futsal Coaching Course Christchurch

13-15 September

Regional Futsal Training Centre Lower North Wellington

4-6 October

ASB Futsal National League Series 1

18-20 October

Regional Futsal Training Centre Mid-Upper North Auckland

15-17 November

ASB Futsal National League Series 2 Wellington

22-24 November

Regional Futsal Training Centre- South Timaru

29-30 Nov-1 December

ASB Futsal National League Series 3

14-15 December

ASB Futsal Girls and Women’s Tournament Wellington

*Events and dates subject to change without notice

Futsal White pivot Micky Malivuk battles the Tahitian defence with the help of Dylan Manickum (3) and Jakub Sinkora (9). PHOTO: PHOTOTEK

Christchurch

Auckland

Hawke’s Bay

PHOTO: PHOTOSPORT

ASB junior FESTIVAL New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

& Youth Championships 2013 New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

expanded format great success The continued growth of junior and youth futsal in New Zealand since its incorporation under the New Zealand Football banner was demonstrated by an expanded ASB Junior & Youth Festival and Championship in Wellington in July. A total of 36 teams across five competitions took part in the three day event at ASB Indoor Sports Centre in Kilbirnie. In a new format, the competition ran alongside the second annual Trans Tasman Cup between Futsal Whites and Futsalroos, enabling many of the players to experience the thrills of international futsal for the first time. Teams from six of the seven federations in the youth grade enjoyed a highly competitive event with Capital Futsal, Mainland Futsal and Central Futsal in particular showing excellent depth throughout all age groups. Once again the 10s and 12s grades featured the innovative festival format, with a combination of 18 minute games and a series of skills challenges determining the outcome in both grades. New Zealand freestyle champion Olly Bowman also made an appearance at the festival and thrilled the crowds with his mind-boggling ball juggling skills.

RESULTS/AWARDS 10s Points based on games and festival activities combined 1st: Capital Futsal Yellow 2nd: Capital Futsal Phoenix 3rd: Central Futsal Fireflies Other Participating Teams: Northern Futsal Spain Northern Futsal Brazil Capital Futsal Black

12s Points based on games and festival activities combined 1st: AFF Futsal 2nd: Central Futsal Rapido 3rd: Mainland Futsal Canterbury Other Participating Teams: Capital Futsal Orange Capital Futsal Green Central Futsal Crazy Horses Northern Futsal Forrest Hill Northern Futsal Yellow Northern Futsal HBC

14s P W D L F A GD PTS Mainland Canterbury 4 4 0 0 35 5 30 12 Capital Red 4 3 0 1 16 13 3 9 Bay of Plenty 4 1 0 3 15 24 -9 3 AFF Futsal 4 1 0 3 16 28 -12 3 Central Futsal Rangers 4 1 0 3 8 20 -12 3 Final: Mainland Canterbury 7 Capital Futsal 3 Winners: Mainland Futsal Canterbury Runners up: Capital Futsal Red Golden Gloves: Ellis Hare-Reid - Mainland Canterbury Golden Boot: Joe Bell - Mainland Canterbury - 25 goals MVP: Joe Bell - Mainland Futsal Canterbury

16s P W D L F A GD PTS Capital White 7 7 0 0 42 7 35 21 Central Futsal 7 6 0 1 52 23 29 18 Mainland Canterbury 7 4 0 3 24 25 -1 12 AFF Futsal 7 3 0 4 16 38 -22 9 Waikato 7 2 0 5 31 28 3 6 Capital Black 7 2 0 5 17 23 -6 6 Bay of Plenty 7 2 0 5 16 32 -16 6 Mainland Nelson 7 2 0 5 17 39 -22 6 Winners: Capital White Runners up: Central Futsal Golden Gloves: Washington Bgoni-Capital Futsal White Golden Boot: Frazer Brigham-Central Futsal-19 Goals MVP: Luke Maynard-Central Futsal

19s P W D L F A GD PTS Mainland Canterbury 7 4 2 1 15 11 4 14 Bay of Plenty 7 4 1 2 17 18 -1 13 Central Futsal 7 4 0 3 23 17 6 12 Waikato 7 3 3 1 15 9 6 12 Capital 7 3 2 2 13 8 5 11 NFF White 7 2 2 3 23 17 6 8 Central Manawatu 7 1 1 5 11 23 -12 4 AFF Futsal 7 1 1 5 9 23 -14 4 Winners: Mainland Futsal Canterbury Runners-up: Bay of Plenty Golden Gloves: Mohesan Maddah-Capital Futsal Golden Boot: Harrison Gregory-Central Futsal-9 Goals MVP: Dylan Morris-Bay of Plenty Futsal

ALL PHOTOS: PHOTOSPORT

FUTSAL ROADSHOW New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

NZF FUTSAL and FUTSALWHITES hit THE ROAD TO INTRODUCE NEW CLUB FUTSAL SEASON... ‘kicking it all year round’ NZ Football Futsal and the Futsal Whites have hit the road over the winter with their innovative federation roadshows. So far the roadshows have taken in Northern, Auckland, WaiBOP and Capital. At the heart of the concept is the launch of NZF Futsal’s new dedicated futsal season - ‘Kicking it All Year Round’, where club and school football players of all levels and ages areinvited to extend their season with futsal. The dedicated futsal season is designed to engage more players in the five aside form of the game while at the same time, develop technically better players to help increase the level of the outdoor game for years to come. Aside from exhibtion matches featuring the Futsal Whites, the roadshows also feature the new two hour ‘Introduction fo Futsal’ Courses for those new to the game, as well as a variety of opportunities for players young and old to experience futsal. The roadshows have been an outstanding success with large crowds packing arenas around the country to play and watch the Futsal Whites take on local teamsl. NZF Futsal Development Manager is delighted with the success of the roadshows. “The Futsal Road Shows in conjunction with our member federations have been an overwhelming success so far. With over thirty clubs and colleges entering teams and coaches so far we are certain that the

pilot year of the dedicated football club and college season will be a success. New Zealand Football through the federation delivery model will now be able to offer organised football opportunities all year round through both formats of the beautiful game.”

Around the Centres

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

NFF Futsal

There’s plenty on the go at NFF with good representation at the recent ASB Junior Festival and Youth Championships. All teams trained under head coach Felipe Bernardi. • • • •

2 x U10s 3 x U12s 1 x U14s 1 x U19s

Our Free Club Futsal Event at the OFC Futsal Championship Invitation was a great success. Football clubs are signing up and numbers are growing. Leagues and programmes are growing and should grow more following the two road shows This term we launch a College Futsal Programme in North Harbour through KiwiSport funding We are also experiencing excellent growth in the far north and hope to look at expanding in this region over the next six months. Next we turn our attention to the selection of our ASB National League for the 2013 season... nff.org.nz

AFF Futsal

East City Futsal Summer League Results: Premier Winners - Futsaljahs Senior B (Sunday) - DFS Senior B (Wednesday) - Lysdexics Untied Youth - Shut Down Junior - Remuera Intermediate Pitt St YMCA Futsal Centre The first club league was started in Term 2. Teams were representing Eastern Suburbs

AFC, Western Springs AFC and Onehunga Sports football clubs. The league was still underway at the time of this publication. Roskill Futsal Centre A new league in partnership with Connect2Sport will be starting at Mt. Roskill Grammar School on Wednesday evening for youth and senior players. This will kick off in August. Team entries available! South Auckland Futsal Centre South Auckland youth and seniors will be able to test their skills at the new Futsal venue at Wesley College. This league is a continuation of the Pukekohe Futsal league but in a new exciting venue! It will be starting on Wednesday evenings in August. Lynfield Futsal Centre Another Connect2Sport programme has seen a girls only drop in and play league developed. Players of all backgrounds are involved with the potential of running an organised league in later in the year.

Futsal In Schools Papakura Schools will be benefiting from coaches coming in and running the successful Futsal in Schools programme. College Programme Each term more schools are getting involved in Futsal. Futsal balls were enjoyed in the following schools in Term Two Avondale College Mt Roskill Grammar Lynfield College Auckland Girls Grammar (photo above) One Tree Hill College Western Springs College With a regional tournament being held in Term Four this year numbers are looking promising. aucklandfootball.org.nz eastcityfutsal.org.nz

25 11

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

regions two top players Tai Barham and Daniel Ball who the Futsal Whites team for the Trans Tasman Cup. These two have worked extremely hard and grabbed the opportunities that have come their way, and they couldn’t be more deserving of their spots. I also want to give a mention to Mitch Webber who has been in the squad for the last year and continues to get better and better. I know that if he keeps doing what he is doing he will be the Futsal Whites ‘Number One’ in the near future.

WaiBOP

Futsal has now expanded in the WaiBOP Federation with the futsal launch weekend taking place in June for the Bay of Plenty region. A secondary schools tournament was followed by an action-packed weekend with the main event the Futsal Whites playing our WaiBOP national league team with a crowd of 500 coming to watch some of the nation’s and region’s best futsal players. The federation was also well-represented at the youth nationals with six squads travelling to Wellington to participate - three from Bay of Plenty and three from Waikato. Upcoming in futsal we have new leagues launching in term 3 for South Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. On the back of this in term 4 we will have Futsal leagues available in every region of the WaiBOP community.

An exciting time to get involved in the constantly growing Futsal in the WaiBOP region. waibop.org.nz

Both Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay will have a team in this year’s National League. With the development underway in the Manawatu and the extremely talented group that are already involved, it would not surprise me to see this group causing some big upsets later in the year. As for Central Futsal - Hawke’s Bay, I was very impressed with the performances they gave last time out. If they can successfully build on that again then it would be no surprise to see them in the thick of the race for a top four spot.

We are currently preparing for what is hopefully going to be a very successful weekend for Central at the upcoming Junior and Youth Tournament. We sent eight teams away to compete and the kids had a great weekend. All teams trained for six weeks and were looking sharp. There is some amazing young talent involved and I couldn’t be more excited about watching them come up against the other federations best.

In terms of development in the region we have started the successful Secondary School Futsal program in the Manawatu. This program is being run by the talented Josh Margetts and on the back of this in term 4 we will start leagues for all ages. The national league side will benefit greatly from this with new talent being introduced to the game. Manawatu has huge potential for growth so it is very exciting to see this project get underway. The secondary school programme is underway again in Hawke’s Bay and we also started the ‘Futsal in Schools’ programme. This programme is targeting intermediate schools and we have had nothing but positive feedback.

I’m sure all the kids involved will be hoping to one day emulate the success of the

hbfutsal.org.nz centralfootball.org.nz

Central Futsal

The last six months of the year have been great here in Central.

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Capital Futsal

Futsal in the capital has been busy through the winter months. In the schools, we have had numerous festivals at the ASB Sports Centre. We had a ‘Heroes Day’ for young players to play with and meet their sports heroes, an ‘Olympics Day’ with multiple sports for primary students, we assisted in a Special Olympics World Cup for college students and many schools have come in weekly for the Futsal in Schools programme.

NZF came down for the Futsal Whites Road Show and a festival of futsal activity all weekend. On the Friday night we had an Introduction to Coaching course run by Grassroots Development Manager Owain Prosser, followed by Capital Futsal going down in a thrilling game 6-5 to the Futsal Whites. There was an emphasis on youth, with College Nationals Junior MVP and Golden Boot Sashka Nicoresti-Goode scoring a goal against the national team at just 14 years old. Saturday saw a junior tournament with 18 junior teams from

various clubs in Wellington, many new to the game. Many stayed to watch the second Capital v Futsal Whites exhibition game, with Futsal Whites again winning by just the single goal, 2-1. On Sunday senior players from clubs got their chance to play the Futsal Whites in some training games. We hosted the Junior and Youth Nationals for the best of the nation and it was a huge success. We had eleven teams compete, won the U-10s and U-16s, and our local volunteers, referees, coaches, and supporters contributed to a festival of futsal widely considered our best yet. Our teams trained hard in preparation, and the diverse make-up of teams reflects the rapid growth of futsal here in the last twelve months, with players from different districts from around the Wellington region including Kapiti. We also have varying experiences in the teams, with some only just starting in the last twelve months to those who have played four years straight. The growth of futsal in the Capital was reflected with 70 players trialling for our U14s team to compete at the National tournament. In Term 3 our leagues continue with fresh seasons for U-13s, Social Adults and Premier Men. We are introducing open youth leagues this term too. Looking forward to October - in the summer season we will be hosting club based leagues for more age groups and venues. Stay tuned at www.capitalfootball.org.nz for your opportunities to play futsal this summer in the capital. www.capitalfutsal.co.nz www.facebook.com/capitalfutsal

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Mainland Futsal

Mainland has been dominated with preparation for the Junior and Youth Nationals recently, along with the regular leagues and training locally. These last few months have also seen another successful Introduction to Futsal course being run. The by-product of this being that every coach who took players to nationals was at least up to date on their coaching qualifications. Nationals were a huge success for the region, building on the development work of the last few years. The festival-based 12s has been a firm favourite for Mainland players since its inception and this year was the same - great fun and huge smiles all round. 14s was a complete sweep for

Mainland, winning the title undefeated and also picking up Golden Glove for Ellis Hare-Reid and MVP and Golden Boot for Joe Bell. 16s saw us get bronze after a couple of early losses left us chasing. For a team which contained quite a few players making their nationals debuts, it was a good result. The round robin format suited the Mainland 19s who played really well to win the league and the title for the second year in a row. A great result for a team which had very few of last year’s winning players involved this time round. The regular leagues are progressing well and development potential of the game is being shown week in and week out as more and more representative and

Federation Talent Centre players get involved. Mainland have also started a regular training session for juniors, women and senior men at a new venue in Lincoln, just south of the city. This will allow more development and has proved very popular with players keen to grow their skills. It now brings the total to three centres for the region. In a city where talk of a new indoor venue is of it being four or so years away, every centre we can get going is important www.mainlandfutsal.co.nz

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Futsal South

It’s been another great start for 2013 and Futsal South has been busier than ever over the past six months. In term one of the school year we had an average of 257 teams playing weekly for up to 14 weeks of competition. Our coaching in schools programmes kicked off in the second week of the new school year and have been in great demand with bookings through to the end of 2013.

For the 2013 ASB National Futsal League Samer Dabous has accepted the position of coach with Ronan Naicker as the team’s manager.

In May we held our annual Secondary Schools one day tournament. There were 138 games played on the day with 26 boys and 20 girls teams participating.

Our top referees have been busy and were lucky enough to be invited and help out at the ASB Junior Festival & Youth Championships on the weekend when a number of earthquakes hit Wellington. Well done to Wayne, Dana and Louis Gray who refereed a number of games. Also during that weekend, Ronan Naicker and Amy Wu attended a senior level futsal referee camp and also got to referee a number of U16 and U19 games.

Futsal South ASB National Futsal League team reformed well in the 2012-13 championships with it best performance so far and just missing out in the semi-finals to Capital Futsal.

Futsal South and Queens High School physical education department and NZ Football Futsal have been working on a pilot project where the Year 11 PE class can gain level 1 NCEA credits.

This programme has been based around the NZ Sport Growing Coaches Programme and ASB Futsal in Schools Programme and involves Futsal Development Officer Wayne Gray delivering the Introduction to Futsal Coaching Course to the students, followed by Dana Gray, Michael Sannum and Ronan Naicker helping the students of a Year 11 physical education class organise lesson plans and initially deliver these to their peers within class, then adjusting their lesson plans and delivering the new plans to pupils of a Year 4 and 5 class from Bathgate Park School. The lesson plans will conclude with the Queens High School Students organising and running a mini futsal tournament for the Bathgate Park Class. Futsal South, Queens High School and NZ Football Futsal will be completing a SWOT analysis and debrief of the programme and using the results to roll out the programme through the country to interested Secondary schools for Year 11 physical education. Football and Futsal South combined over the July school holidays and ran a week long programme with football in the mornings and futsal in the afternoons. 80 players from seven to fourteen years of age were involved. A few of the participants got to enjoy both programmes, meaning they got to work on their game for six hours a day. www.futsalsourth.co.nz

noran abaza New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

Interview

“

I think as a goalkeeper you have to take leadership because you are the only player on the court who can see the whole game in front of you. Mainland Futsal’s champion women’s goalkeeper Noran Abaza is a futsal specialist dedicated to improving her game. She recently relocated to Australia in order to take part in the excellent Australian Women’s F-League, a championship modelled on the ASB Futsal National League. Power of Five caught up with Noran after her recent move to league leaders Paramatta Blues. Tell us about your early days playing futsal. Where did you first play and how old were you? I first started playing Futsal about five years ago when I was 21 years old. My first game was in Christchurch at QEII stadium. I got asked by a friend to fill in as their goal keeper was leaving. I filled in and never looked back since. What appealed to you about futsal? Did you, or do you, also play football? I love futsal because it is fast paced, requires greater skills and concentration, players get more touches on the ball and it is end to end action. As a keeper you have to be switched on all the time, and you are always in the game. Yes I also play football and have been playing it at a high level up until June this year when I quit for the season in order to train and concentrate on the F-League.

”

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

For those readers who haven’t seen you play yet, how would you describe yourself as a player? I am really passionate about futsal and would like to think this reflects in the way I play. As a player I always want to improve my game and enjoy my time on the court, but with this I also always want to win and I am committed to helping my team achieve this. I think as a goalkeeper you have to take leadership because you are the only player on the court who can see the whole game in front of you, so I would say that I look to do this by offering instructions to the players in front of me and trying to organise what I see. Tell us about some of your successes playing futsal in New Zealand with Mainland… I have had some great success with Mainland. The first year of NZF nationals I player coached the side which was challenging and hard to balance. But unfortunately we didn’t do as well as expected. Last year I had my ankle reconstructed so took the opportunity to be purely a coach and we ended up winning nationals which was a wonderful moment not just for the players but also myself. At the beginning of the year we went to Melbourne to compete in the WFAFL cup. We took a youthful side which provided the players with invaluable experience. They got to play against current F-League players and held our own in what was a tough competition. What effect have the Christchurch earthquakes had on futsal in the Mainland region? The quake has had a massive effect on futsal here, mainly due to the lack of courts available. Prior to the quakes we used to play futsal at QEII which was a great sports complex. It had a full international

court with stands plus four small sided courts which provided for more games and competitions. It is always difficult to find an international court to train on leading up to nationals. We have also had a decrease in the number of youths and women playing futsal but we are slowly trying to rebuild the numbers we had pre quake. You have been playing in Australia in the F-League. Tell us about the league – the standard of play, for instance. The F-League is amazing. This league really is the best of the best. It is great to have the elite futsal players from around Australia competing against each other. The standard of play is very physical, quick, technical, structured and of a very high intensity. The professionalism of the administration team, the facilities and the way the clubs, players and coaches conduct themselves on and off the court has been excellent. The F-League is a great opportunity to showcase the women’s game and is a fantastic platform to launch a professional league in the near future. The format for the league is similar to our ASB National League, right? Do the players find the weekends tiring? Yeah it is exactly the same format. F-League is played over three series’ in three different states which is great as it brings high level futsal to different communities. Like any elite competition players do get tired, especially with this league as we play five or six games over two days, so towards the end of the weekend players start to tire. In saying that, everyone in the League is very fit and they are all professional athletes who know how to recover properly in order to be 100% for every game.

Who are some of the players you admire and why? There are a couple of people from futsal firstly Jo Burgess (Australian football and futsal representative) , she is one of the best players I have seen for both codes, she has great speed, touches, knowledge and is a game changer and most importantly one of the most humble players I have met. Jodie Bain, a team mate at Parramatta, leads by example, and really stamps her mark on any game. Jodie is the kind of player that any goal keeper would rather have on their side and I love having her play in front of me. It really is a privilege to have the opportunity to play with and against these two players. Closer to home and away from futsal I look up to Sara McGlashan (New Zealand cricketer). She is very hard working, humble and is the pinnacle of a professional athlete. The way these players conducted themselves on and off the court is what I admire the most and it is something that I look to implement. You started out playing for Sutherland but now I understand you’ve made the switch to top of the table Parramatta Blues. Why the change and how are things working out for you at your new club? Sutherland have a very young side with great potential leading into the future and I wish them all the best and look forward to watching them progress as a club and as individuals. Sutherland wasn’t the right environment for me to keep developing as a player and to continue heading where I want to in my career. I was lucky enough that a team like Parramatta wanted to sign me. They are a great side with very talented players and they have a great coach with a lot of knowledge about the game. Parra have a very good balance between fun and professionalism which fits with me well. The girls have made me feel very welcome and at home and I’m really looking forward to the final series and hopefully continuing

“

I love Futsal because it is fast paced, requires greater skills and concentration, and players get more touches... New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

New Zealand Football| FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White

”

our good performances and win the F-League. Will you be back to play in the NZ Girls and Women’s Championships in New Zealand? Yes, I’m hoping to make a trip back from Australia for nationals at the end of this year and help Mainland win 2 championships in a row, this time as a player. We all want a FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup sooner rather than later. Do you think we will see it one day? How big a boost for women’s futsal would that be? I believe a FIFA Women’s World Cup is not too far away. It will boost the women’s game immensely not just here but around the world. There are a lot of talented futsal players and women’s futsal is rather exciting to watch so hopefully we can get the recognition we deserve and showcase these talents on the world stage. What about the future. What are your personal ambitions in futsal? At the moment my sights are set on cementing a spot in the Futsal Ferns when it is named and to compete at the FIFA World Cup, which will hopefully be announced soon. I would also like to be back playing in the F-League again next year and then go and play overseas in Spain or Brazil. Outside of playing I will be looking at getting my coaching licence with the hope that once I retire I can coach the national side. Once I graduate from university next year I would like to work for NZF in developing the women’s game and help create the best pathways for youth and women in order for NZ to compete on the international stage. How do you feel generally about the rise of futsal in New Zealand in recent times. Do you feel the game is gaining more exposure

and becoming more attractive to young players (male and female)? Futsal in NZ has risen in leaps and bounds over a short space of time, which is credit to Dave Payne and all his hard work. I don’t think there can ever be too much exposure for the game. The Futsal Whites are doing a great job with their futsal road shows around the country and the Trans-Tasman fixtures coming up will only be more positive for marketing the game. In the women’s game, we have Emma Humphries (women’s football development manager) working with Dave and implementing futsal in the Whole of Football plan. It is great to have both of them involved and fair to say

that the future of futsal here in NZ is very promising. Finally, do you have any advice to young players (especially girls) who are new to futsal? The advice I would give is to just enjoy the game of futsal and have fun with your friends especially at the junior and youth levels. Don’t lose your passion for the game, always play like a kid. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes and try new things even during games, believe in yourself and your ability no matter what people say.

www.nzfootball.co.nz | www.nzffutsal.co.nz | Follow the Futsal Whites on Facebook