THE POWER OF FIVE #3 February 2012

New Zealand Football | FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White © CreativeBank 2010


THE MAGAZINE OF NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL FUTSAL ISSUE 3 FEBrUAry 2012

ASB FUTSAL NATIONAL LEAGUE SErIES ONE WrAPNATIONAL FrAMEWOrK NATIONAL WOMEN’S TOUrNAMENTDANIEL FULTON



PHOTO: ALPHAPIXPHOTO: SHANNON DOYLE

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SERIES TWOAUCKLAND

11/12 FEBRUARY 2012

SERIES THREEWELLINGTON17/18 MARCH

2012

PHOTO: RAB SMITH

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Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the January issue of the Power of Five. Looking back at 2011 there were many milestones for the game.

From creating opportunities to launch Girls and Women’s Futsal accumulating in the inaugural NZF Girls and Women’s Tournament to establishing high profile awareness for the game by securing a regular spot for the ASB National Futsal League on Sky Sports, we worked successfully across the board with minimal resources for the rate of growth.

2012 will be a year where we service and sustain our current growth rate.

One key area we will target is the Coach Framework. By mid 2012 you will see the launch of the Junior and youth Futsal Coach Framework with federation based Coach Educators providing the Junior and youth Coaching curriculum to what

will essentially be our first generation of formally qualified coaches in New Zealand. This will ensure the that this generation of futsal players will receive a quality, fun and progressive experience throughout their player pathway.

Staffing and resource at a regional level is also targeted area into growing the game. We are currently reviewing regional submissions that will see finance injected into the game for staff and resources that will ensure each federation has permanent staff members dedicated to futsal development and the equipment to deliver the player development programmes.

There will be plenty more surprises and no doubt a few hurdles along the way, so sit tight for an exciting journey through 2012...

Dave PayneNZF Futsal Development Manager

A BIG yEAr AHEAD...

SERIES THREEWELLINGTON17/18 MARCH

2012

PHOTO: RAB SMITH

PHOTO: INSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO: INSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY

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FUTSAL DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO: ALPHAPIX

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The creation of an aligned futsal framework was the focus of a National Futsal Development Workshop held in Auckland in November.

The workshop brought together representatives from OFC, New Zealand Football, federations and the Futsal Whites to discuss and develop a strategy to further enhance the development of the code as well as prioritise the stages of development in an agreed timeline.

The key outcome was the establishment of a Futsal Coach Framework Working Group charged with developing the national framework in conjunction with NZF staff.

New Zealand Football Futsal Development Manager Dave Payne was excited by the outcomes of the workshop.

“We have agreed on a strategy and now we have a group with varied skills from futsal backgrounds working on establishing a futsal specific national framework to align with the philosophy of the Whole of Football Plan.”

“The group will cover all aspects of structure, content and delivery mechanisms to ensure all areas are covered,” said Payne.

NZF’s core football development staff

NZ FOOTBALL FUTSAL HOST WOrKSHOP TO ESTABLISH FUTSAL SPECIFIC NATIONAL

FrAMEWOrK IN 2012

took the opportunity to explain the Whole of Football Plan and where futsal could integrate and compliment the current framework, whilst building some specific strategies for futsal.

Currently, futsal sits mainly in the youth section of the community recreational pathway, but the alignment of philosophy within the current Whole of Football Plan was seen as a key objective with the gathered experts crucial to the development of the national framework.

“Due to this positioning, it is currently not being delivered within the Whole of Football Plan strategies at stage one. However, there are a lot of synergies between the great work taking place in futsal and the future direction of the Whole of Football Plan,” said Acting Director of Football Development Bev Priestman.

“There is no doubt futsal aligns to the main principles of the Whole of Football plan, it is an area that offers significant growth, allows players to accumulate more hours due to its flexibility all year round and will no doubt heavily assist in developing technically proficient players.”

“There are specific stages to player development where futsal compliments and integrates with football, however there are stages where we believe in New

Zealand we can start to offer specific programmes for players and coaches to specifically develop better futsal players. Our job was to identify the priorities for Futsal Development short and long term and to identify what is required at what stages,” she continued.

With the focus of the junior coaching framework on small sided games it was agreed that futsal could leverage off of the current curriculum through the creation of an introduction to futsal module within the established framework.

The priority for resources will be the youth age category (13 – 19 years) with specific coaching modules created to support the specialisation of the sport especially in the areas of tactical and technical development.

A pilot programme will be developed between now and April next year in conjunction with the seven federations, with a trial set for May and the eventual implementation through dedicated futsal development staff across the country in July 2012.

FUTSAL DEVELOPMENT


AFF East City player/coach Nathan robertson (white) tangles with Capital Futsal’s Micky Malivuk (left) while Kareem Osman looks on. BELOW: Mainland Futsal Canterbury’s player/coach Jakub Sinkora (red) in action against NFF Massey’s Chris Thorpe. PHOTOS: RAB SMITH

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Auckland Football’s AFF-East City Futsal went top of the table in the ASB Futsal National League after dominating the opening weekend at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin with a perfect four wins from four matches.

Lead by Futsal Whites captain and influential pivot Marvin Eakins, AFF-East City defeated Northern Futsal Massey and Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay with respective 8-2 and 12-1 hammerings on Saturday before edging Capital Futsal 2-1 and Mainland Futsal 3-0 on Sunday to lead the standings on goal difference from Mainland with a game in hand.

The depth of the Auckland squad was always a factor, with player/coach Nathan robertson having seven current or ex-Futsal Whites to call upon.

rising stars richie Sullivan and influential playmaker Felipe Bernardi enjoyed solid weekends in Series One with both players scoring vital goals in the Capital and Mainland games.

Eakins and Bakr-Al Saudi lead the way in the scoring stakes for the league leaders with four

AUCKLAND LEAD ASB FUTSAL NATIONAL LEAGUE AFTEr DOMINATING THE OPENING SErIES

IN DUNEDIN IN DECEMBEr apiece, while former Futsal White goalkeeper Clayton Chappell was the top shot stopper on display with a series of commanding performances throughout the weekend.

Mainland, whose loss to AFF-East City was the only blot on their copybook after five games, were the surprise package of the league’s opening weekend. They announced their intentions with a shock 4-3 win over last year’s runners up Capital Futsal in the series opener.

The teams traded goals but Sam Mitchell’s strike with seven and a half minutes left proved the decider and set Mainland on their way to further wins over NFF Futsal Massey, Futsal South and Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay.

Player/coach Jakub Sinkora was the star performer for Mainland, leading the golden boot race after netting five goals, and providing much of the creative spark for his excellent unit.

ryan Batty and Daniel Burns were other top performers for Mainland and both weighed in with their share of goals.

ASB NATIONAL LEAGUESeries One

Mainland look to be one of the most exciting sides in this year’s league and head into Series Two knowing a similar showing to their Dunedin effort will all but assure them of a place in the semi-finals.

Futsal South proved they will be real contenders also, after an excellent weekend on their home court saw them finish Series One in third place.

The Southerners beat both Central Futsal teams - Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu, as well as NFF Futsal Massey, with their only loss coming in their South Island derby against Mainland.

Brazilian Carlos Herrmann was in superb form at the Edgar Centre and looks to be one of the top targets in the competition, with a sublime array of skills and great finishing ability.

The southerners also had the experience of Queenstown - based Brazilians, raul Werlang, Pedro Neto, Wagner Santana and Gabriel ruiz to call upon and this has added to much flair to the squad.

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With Peter rae and Darren Hart also in good form, Futsal South will head into Series Two in Auckland full of confidence.

After a disappointing first up loss in Series One against Futsal South, Central Futsal Manawatu completed a very good weekend with wins over NFF Futsal Massey, Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay and a draw with Capital Futsal.

Powerful Futsal Whites target Greg O’Connor led the way with four goals, while Scott Mudgway once again directed traffic from pivot, continuing his excellent form from last season.

New flanker Tyson Brandt will be another to watch in Auckland after showing tremendous pace and real ability in one v ones in his first outing in Dunedin.

Player/coach Murray Burling will be pleased to see his side sitting fourth, poised for a return to the semi finals - but Auckland remains a tough assignment for Manawatu, with five games over two days, including two local derbies and encounters with table toppers Auckland and Mainland on the Sunday.

Dunedin once again proved to be an unhappy hunting ground for last year’s finalists, Capital Futsal, who managed just two draws and two losses in the opening series, with their inability to create enough goalscoring chances a telling factor over the weekend.

This, coupled with some rare defensive lapses, most notably against Mainland and Hawke’s Bay, means Capital head to Auckland in fifth place on the table, which won’t please coach Brian Blellock.

Futsal White target Micky Malivuk scored three goals in Series One and looks the one player always capable of providing the all-important goal for the Wellingtonians.

Meanwhile, Shingo Ina continues to grow in stature as one of the classiest players in the league, but Capital will need much more from him and Brazilian pivot Enrico Meirelles to get their campaign back on track.

Newcomers Central Futsal - Hawke’s Bay had a tough weekend in Series One but

emerged with some credit after a 3-3 draw with last year’s finalists, Capital Futsal and two one goals losses against Futsal South and Central Futsal - Manawatu.

Perennial golden boot contender Nat Wright was, as expected, a key figure in Hawke’s Bay’s fortunes, his hat trick against Capital the major highlight for his team, but too often he was a marginal figure in general play.

Coach Mark Cozens will continue to rely on youth in Series Two with at least half the side only 15 and 16 years old. Of those youngsters, flanker Simon Stallard in particular, was a standout in Dunedin.

At the back for Hawke’s Bay, experienced pivot Patrick Pilz provided a strong defensive platform for his side, allowing them to occasionally launch their high energy counter-attacking style to good effect.

It was a tough first series for newcomers NFF Futsal Massey, with the newly-formed side finding themselves at the bottom

Marvin Eakins, AFF East City, captainPHOTO: NZ FOOTBALL

Two of the standout players of Series One, Carlos Herrmann (green strip) and Central Futsal - Manawatu’s Scott Mudgway. PHOTO: rAB SMITH

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of the table going into Series Two. The northerners found goals hard to come by in Dunedin, hitting the back of the net only three times and player/coach Arthur Ng will be looking for a better return this time from targets Authman Al-Saudi and Montri Jaimeetham.

Versatile skipper Chris Thorpe was a standout performer in Series One and the team will take heart from their spirited fight back in the final stages of their opening game against cross-town rivals AFF East City.

Series Two of the ASB Futsal National League takes place at ASB Stadium in Kohimarama, Auckland on 3/4 February while Series Three (including finals) is set for 17/18 March at the ASB Community Stadium in Wellington.

TABLE P W D L F A GD PtsAFF-Futsal East City 4 4 0 0 25 4 +21 12Mainland Futsal 5 4 0 1 14 9 +5 12 Futsal South 4 3 0 1 14 9 +5 9 Central Futsal-Mwtu 4 2 1 1 11 7 +4 7 Capital Futsal 4 0 2 2 8 10 -2 2 Central Futsal-HBay 5 0 1 4 10 26 -16 1 NFF-Futsal Massey 4 0 0 4 4 21 -17 0

GOLDEN BOOT 5 Jakub SINKOrA (Mainland Futsal)4 Bakr AL-SAUDI (AFF East City Fustal) Marvin EAKINS (AFF East City Futsal) Greg O’CONNOr (Central Futsal Manawatu) Nat WrIGHT (Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay)3 Micky Malivuk (Capital Futsal) ryan Batty (Mainland Futsal) Daniel Burns (Mainland Futsal) Miro MAJOr (AFF East City Futsal) Carlos Hermann (Futsal South)

Central Futsal - Hawke’s Bay flanker Simon Stallard.

SERIES ONE EDGAr CENTrE DUNEDIN 3/4 DECEMBEr 2011

RESULTS

CAPITAL FUTSAL 3 Malivuk, rhazouk, Ederidge MAINLAND FUTSAL 4 Mitchell, Sinkora, Burns, Batty

NFF-FUTSAL MASSEY 2 A Al-Saudi, WeanthongAFF-FuTsAl EAsT CiTy 8 Major, Eakins 2, B Al-Saudi 2, robertson, ragued, Bernardi

FUTSAL SOUTH 4 rae, Hermann 2, HartCENTRAL FUTSAL-HAWKE’S BAY 3 Jackson 2, Stallard

NFF-FUTSAL MASSEY 1 JaimeethamMAINLAND FUTSAL 2 Sinkora 2

CENTRAL FUTSAL-MANAWATU 1 O’ConnorFUTSAL SOUTH 2 Santana, Hermann

CENTRAL FUTSAL-HAWKE’S BAY 3 Wright 3CAPITAL FUTSAL 3 Osman, Malivuk, Soleimanpour

MAINLAND FUTSAL 5 Sinkora, Burns 2, Batty 2FUTSAL SOUTH 2 rae, Costa ruiz

CAPITAL FUTSAL 1 MalivukCENTRAL FUTSAL-MANAWATU 1 O’Connor

AFF-FUTSAL EAST CITY 12 Eakins 2, ragued, B Al-Saudi 2, C Manickum, D Manickum, Major, Hart 2, o.g. 2CENTRAL FUTSAL-HAWKE’S BAY 1 Cozens

NFF-FUTSAL MASSEY 1 ThorpeCENTRAL FUTSAL-MANAWATU 5 O’Connor 2, Brandt, Kilani, Burling

MAINLAND FUTSAL 3 Mitchell, Al-Seenani, SinkoraCENTRAL FUTSAL-HAWKE’S BAY 0

AFF-FUTSAL EAST CITY 2 Major, BernardiCAPITAL FUTSAL 1 rhazouk

FUTSAL SOUTH 6 Sannum, Hart, Werlang, Neto, Costa ruiz, SantanaNFF-FUTSAL MASSEY 0

CENTRAL FUTSAL-MANAWATU 4 Mudgway 2, Kilani, JonesCENTRAL FUTSAL-HAWKE’S BAY 3 Barham 2, Wright AFF-Futsal East City 3 Sullivan 2, D ManickumMainland Futsal 0

Around theCentresNew Zealand Football | FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White © CreativeBank 2010

NFF Futsal

Futsal development programmes for junior and youth in three centres (HBC, Massey – Albany, West Wave – Henderson) with an adults league operating at Massey on Monday nights We have delivered three successful futsal open days to the community in 2011 and received a great response from the community. A NFF/Massey University team is also participating the ASB National League We are now working with West Wave to provide coaching sessions for home schooled students and with East Coast Bays FC to provide futsal as a development tool for their players.

nff.org.nz

AFF Futsal

AFF has had big movement in the amount of kids kicking a futsal ball with the implementation of the ‘Futsal in Schools’ program. More kids every week are showing their skills!!

A new addition to the futsal community is Futsal Avondale. This new league has had a successful first season with plenty more interest to push it into potentially two leagues.

The established East City has continued to provide several leagues at various levels while producing quality players. Many have andcurrently represent the Futsal Whites.2012 is going to be a huge growth year for AFF Futsal especially through the junior and youth age groups. Watch this space!

aff.org.nz

EAST CITYHere at East City Futsal, our Spring league is well underway with some competitions in the final weeks. The standard in the premier competition is again strong with several teams vying for the glory of taking the Cup.

Our focus in the past month or two has been GABBS (the Great Auckland Bargain Book Fair – 24 hours long) which is our only fundraiser and held on 5th/6th November. It was fabulous to see all our members participating – particularly our National League Training Squad who volunteered a phenomenal number of hours between them; some members working throughout the night.

We are now focusing on the National League Series Two competition at our home stadium in Kohimarama, after a successful Series One in Dunedin in December.

eastcityfutsal.org.nz

Central Futsal

HAWKE’S BAY

Hawke’s Bay has enjoyed its biggest and best ever year with around sixty teams taking part in our recently completed Spring leagues.

There was plenty to be encouraged about in 2011 with a particular highlight being the launch of our Thursday Premier League played on a full sized court at Centennial Hall.

Our Tuesday night PG Arena leagues saw over fifty junior and youth teams participate and we were delighted to re-introduce our girls/womens’ league, this time with eight teams taking part.

The success of all our leagues has largely been due to the tireless efforts of Jo Webber, who has taken the organisation of Hawke’s Bay Futsal to a new level. The demand in

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Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay National League team with Technical Advisor Juliano Schmeling (far left) and Coach Mark Cozens (far right).

http://www.nff.org.nz

http://www.aff.org.nz

http://www.eastcityfutsal.org.nz

2012 is expected to increase and we expect to head towards that magic number of 100 teams, court space permitting.

We also launched our college programme in November - this saw HB Futsal Development Manager Nat Wright introducing futsal in several local schools as part of an initiative launched by NZ Football Futsal, KiwiSport and Sport Hawke’s Bay. This work will continue in the New year, culminating in the 3rd Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools Futsal Championships at Pettigrew Green Arena in February.

Another highlight took place in September, when NZ Football’s Ken Wallace conducted our first ever Level One Futsal referees Course. This means Central Football now has around 20 qualified futsal at its disposal in Hawke’s Bay.

The biggest news of all was probably entering a side in the ASB National League. The emphasis was very much on youth with at least half the squad born in 1995/96. Coach Mark Cozens has done a great job with the side and after a tough start in Series One, we look forward to an improved effort in Auckland in February.

The players are all looking forward to further sessions with our Auckland-based technical advisor Juliano Schmeling.thoughout the summer.

A special thank you to our new partner Kennedy Park Motor Camp, sponsors of Central Futsal Hawke’s Bay ASB National League team.

hbfutsal.org.nz

Capital Futsal

Capital Futsal has made the big transition into Capital Football, and their new home at the ASB Sports Centre.

Primary/Junior Leagues have doubled in size, and the new Premier Men has two divisions of eight teams, playing on full-size international courts, with 20 minute halves. The KiwiSport funded, College Sport facilitated College Programme has developed and affected almost everycentral Wellington school. In 2012 the Hutt Valley will be receiving more opportunities to participate. At the top end, the National League team has been training and playing weekly in our amazing new facility as we look to go one better on our runner Up in the inaugural NZF National League of 2010/2011.

As a development programme, an U19 team has been selected and training since June. They will be the first Capital team to play in the FFA Nationals in Canberra, as well as an U13 team (see in this issue). League Finals were in mid December, as were the Junior College Sport Champs.

Then all eyes are on a big 2012 with huge growth expected again as word spreads of the beautiful game.

Late January we will again be hosting holiday tournaments, before leagues start in early February.

In March we host the College Sport Champs, as well as the National College, and National Men’s League Final.All details up soon on our website. Contact [email protected]

capitalfutsal.co.nz.

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www.hbfutsal.org.nz

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.capitalfutsal.org.nz

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Mainland Futsal

As Mainland Futsal’s first year of existence came to a close we were able to look back with pride at all that the local and representative teams have achieved and look forward with great excitement to 2012.

Our leagues are now running three days a week and there is some great talent on the court and good atmosphere at all the sessions. The biggest issue locally is lack of court space - post earthquake - as many sports try and cram into the few remaining venues. The quicker the council builds QEII’s replacement, the better for us all.

Highlight of the last few months has been the Girls Nationals. We took two teams into the Women’s Competition and Canterbury red, coached by Maria Sinclair, ended up winning. Many congratulations to all the players, they trained very hard and it is always great to get that effort rewarded. To cap a great weekend Serena Patel was named Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament, so well done to her as well. Thanks to everyone involved in making it such a great competition.

Next up is the Men’s National League and we all look forward to seeing what that will bring.

For more information on the area go to www.mainlandfutsal.co.nz or search for the Mainland Futsal Group on Facebook.

Chloe Williams plays out of Canterbury Black’s defence

Serena Patel, Canterbury red, Player of the Tournament

Canterbury red, National Champions!

www.mainlandfutsal.co.nz

Four New Zealand teams have just returned from the gala event on the Australasian futsal calendar, the 33rd annual FFA Futsal Nationals. Two teams from Auckland Football Federation, Auckland Rio and Auckland Sampa, took part in the 11th Grade Boys, while Capital Futsal had representatives in the Men’s Youth and 13th Grades.

As is always the case with the FFA Nationals, it was a tough assignment for the New Zealand teams. Auckland rio were still in the hunt for a semi-final place going in to their last group game after wins over ACT Colts and Auckland Sampa in the group phase, before eventually succumbing to ACT Cobras. A big highlight for rio was goalkeeper Darcy Brown being awarded 11 Boys MVP after a series of outstanding displays between the sticks.

The younger Auckland Sampa team also put in a creditable performance during their week at MPowerdome, the highlights being their excellent 4-1 victory over eventual semi-finalists Queensland and a hard-fought 3-3 draw with ACT Cobras. Coach Juliano Schmeling impressed all with this ability to organise the defensive pattern of his side, made up largely of 9 and 10 year olds.

The Capital youth team was also on the younger end of the scale, with the exception of outstanding skipper, 2010 Futsal White Izaac O’Hara, who led the team from pivot. Coach Matt Fejos was encouraged by his team’s performances throughout the week and by the knowledge that all players will be eligible to play in the

youth grade for at least another year. Hawke’s Bay goalkeeper Mitch Webber, who filled in at late notice, can play in this age group for another four years.

After a heartbreaking last minute 6-5 loss to Victoria in their opening game, Capital succumbed to the highly experienced NSW Thunder and Lightning sides, as well as ACT Cobras, but bounced back with a tremendous 2-2 draw with ACT Colts and another narrow loss at the hands of South Australia.

A 6-3 loss to a very good NSW Lightning side and a 4-4 draw with ACT Colts were the highlights for the Capital 13th grade boys.

NSW were dominant in most grades on finals day on the Friday at AIS Arena, and a large crowd saw a steady stream of Thunder and Lightning sides on the winner’s podium throughout the day. 2011 NZF Futsal National League Golden Boot winner Jarrod Basger picked up a gold

medal after his side beat Daniel Fulton’s ACT Cobras 3-1 in the tournament’s showpiece game in the evening.

Crowd favourites Solomons Islands once again took part in the tournament, this time in the 16th grade. As usual, the outstanding squad of future Kurukuru players dazzled everyone with their exciting array of skills before bowing out in extra time of their semi final against ACT Cobras at Australian National University.

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NEW ZEALAND JUNIOr TEAMS AT FFA FUTSAL NATIONALS IN CANBErrA

reportJUNIOr New Zealand Football | FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White © CreativeBank 2010

2011 WOMENS’

PHOTO: SHANNON DOYLE

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Mainland Futsal Red are the queens of New Zealand’s women’s futsal after winning the inaugural NZF-Futsal Girls and Women’s National Championships in Wellington over Labour Weekend.

Making up for a 2-3 defeat in pool play, Mainland red, one of two teams sent north from Mainland, beat Auckland Meninas 2-1 in a thrilling final at the ASB Sports Centre.

With 13 goals to her credit, Mainland’s Serena Patel picked up the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards to cap a great weekend, while Auckland’s Dani Bradley was named as the best goalkeeper.

In the under 15 division, Upper Hutt were dominant as Upper Hutt Black edged Upper Hutt Orange for the title.

In the senior final, Mainland held a 1-0 advantage at halftime but a penalty for hand ball saw the Aucklanders level shortly after the break.

Mainland got themselves back in front but had to survive a wave of attacks in the final stages to grind out the victory.

NZF Futsal Development Manager Dave Payne was impressed with the skill on show.

MAINLAND FUTSAL CrOWNED INAUGUrAL NATIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS

“There were a lot of talented players coming through in all the regions that competed and the support from futsal staff in the federations made sure the event was success off court as well,” Payne said.

“It’s clear from the level of enthusiasm on show from players, coaches and administrators that girls and women’s futsal will go from strength to strength.”

GROUP PHASEAuckland Meninas 7 v Aces-rotorua 0Waterside Karori-Wellington 1 v Northern-Whangarei 7(WEGC) East Beasts-Wellington 0 v Mainland Futsal red-Canterbury 12Mainland Futsal Black-Canterbury 2 v Marist Flyers-Wellington 1Mainland Futsal red-Canterbury 2 v Auckland Meninas 3Northern-Whangarei 2 v Mainland Futsal Black-Canterbury 0

2011 WOMENS’National Championships

Aces-rotorua 11 v (WEGC) East Beasts-Wellington 1Marist Flyers-Wellington 1 v Waterside Karori-Wellington 5Auckland Meninas 15 v (WEGC)East Beasts-Wellington 1Waterside Karori-Wellington 4 v Mainland Futsal Black-Canterbury 0Mainland Futsal red-Canterbury 13 v Aces-rotorua 1Marist Flyers-Wellington 1 v Northern-Whangarei 0

PLATE SEMI FINALSAces-rotorua 1 v Mainland Futsal Black-Canterbury 7Marist Flyers-Wellington 19 v Wellington East Girls College (WEGC) East Beasts-Wellington 0

PLATE FINALMainland Futsal Black-Canterbury 1 v Marist Flyers-Wellington 3

CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINALSAuckland Meninas 3 v Waterside Karori-Wellington 2Northern-Whangarei 3 v Mainland Futsal red-Canterbury 4

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALAuckland Meninas 1 v Mainland Futsal red-Canterbury 2

PHOTO: SHANNON DOYLE PHOTO: SHANNON DOYLE

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PHOTO: DAMIAN BRIGGS PHOTOGRAPHY

DANIEL FULTON

“A HIGHLIGHT FOr ME WAS

PLAyING IN BrAZIL WITH MINAS FOr A SEASON BACK

IN 2009”

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PHOTO: DAMIAN BRIGGS PHOTOGRAPHY

with teams from NSW, ACT and VICTOrIA taking part over three weekends.

Tell us a little bit about your futsal experience Daniel - where and when you first started playing and some of your highlights. How did you first get introduced to the game? And did you play in the FFA Nationals in Canberra as a youngster?I started playing Futsal when I was 10 years old. Just like most juniors in a school hall with some school friends. I was fortunate enough to then be selected to play for ACT at my very first FFA Nationals in 2000 and have played in it every year since. Since then, I have been able to play futsal around the world with a highlight for me playing in Brazil for a season, with a team called Minas back in 2009. Since then I have tried applying what I have learnt to my game here in particular when I was with Maccabi. The highlights of the last couple of years have been winning a number of leagues with the boys at Maccabi, winning two of the last three FFA National titles and being personally awarded three MVP awards in the last two years has certainly been memorable.

What about outdoor football. Do you still play? Was there ever a time when you had to choose between which game you were going to specialise in?I will be playing outdoor again this coming season. In the past I have been playing on and off depending on what Futsal opportunities have been available during

Ex-Maccabi Hakoah playmaker Daniel Fulton is one of the rising stars on the Australian futsal scene. Equally well-known on this side Tasman after a string of outstanding performances that helped Maccabi to the inaugural NZF Futsal National League title in 2011, Fulton is now back in his home town of Canberra, representing ACT Cobras in the FFA Nationals, pushing hard for a place in the Futsalroos and even preparing for a return to winter football. Everyone Power of Five talked to in Canberra told us the dynamic 2011 National League MVP was still in red hot form, and we caught up with him a couple of days after Cobras went down 3-1 to NSW Thunder in the showpiece Men’s Final at the AIS Arena in January.

Well first up Daniel - a belated congratulations from Power of Five on last year’s National league title and of course being chosen as MVP. It must have been a great experience taking part.Thank you. yes, it certainly was a memorable and positive experience for me and the team. We thoroughly enjoyed the league and the challenge. It was also good to be a part of something that is a building block for the development of New Zealand futsal players.

In NSW I understand they are using a similar format for their competition...yes, they certainly are. The F-League was a great step forward for Futsal in Australia

winter, such as the opportunity to play in Brazil. I was playing with the ACT outdoor football academy until I was 13 and it was at that point that I decided that I wanted to concentrate on Futsal and only played football from then on with friends in social competitions.

you’re based in ACT, so no longer with Maccabi. What are you up to down there? Canberra is your home town, right?yeah I grew up in Canberra and have lived here my entire life. I made the decision to return to playing in my hometown Canberra, after five years of playing with two Sydney clubs one of which being Maccabi. I had been playing in Sydney to develop as a player, to learn from the best coaches, and to play in the best league available. Maccabi was one of the most positive experiences I’ve ever had. The club is so professional and provide their players and staff with amazing opportunities. Canberra now have a team in the NSW Premier League called Boomerangs and they approached me last year to see if I would be interested in coming home to play. It means that I can train here in Canberra, Fifteen minutes from home as opposed to three hours, and travel with the team on the weekends for games, which has been fantastic. Added bonus with less travel is that I can play in more local competitions.

DANIEL FULTONINTErVIEW

So you’re playing futsal regularly in the local competition?yep. We wrapped up the ACT Premier League season just before Christmas. My Canberra City Prawns team ended up winning the final 4-3 and I walked away with Golden Boot for the league which was an added bonus.

your team, ACT Cobras made the final of this year’s championships. Although you lost to NSW Thunder you must be pretty happy with how the team went? Tell us a little bit about how the week went for you guys...yeah, it was an exhausting week if I’m honest, with 9 games in total. This was my first nationals back with ACT after playing for NSW the previous five years. We had a mixed week but found form at the right times and our results rewarded us with a place in the final. Thunder, our opponent in the final, was a tough side and with a few injuries to players we got very tired. So, to find ourselves in extra time didn’t leave much in the tank and Thunder punished us. Overall I know the team are satisfied with the result and we can now learn from it and work towards next year.

What about coaches and players on the Australian scene? Who are some of the inspirational figures you have worked with in the game?That’s a tough question, because I certainly personally like to look at what skills various players excel at and try to adapt that particular skill to my game. I love watching Futsalroo players like Chris Zeballos, who is technically gifted and Trent Flanigan, whose ability to pass a ball is phenomenal. Overall though Simon Keith has been a huge figure in mentoring me and in helping me develop as a player on and off the field. As for coaches, same thing again, I think different coaches bring different things to the table that you as

a player can draw upon and learn from. Scott Gilligan was fantastic at mentally preparing me as a player. Steve Knight’s ability to teach tactical and technical areas of the game is second to none here in Australia, and the intensity in which Jamie Amendolia brings to his training sessions as a coach is awesome.

Do you feel like futsal is ‘on the up’ in Australia’? Is the game progressing? I do think Futsal in Australia is progressing, how fast is the next question. I certainly believe that the right questions are being asked and the way forward is becoming clearer. I also think the F-League is fantastic and the proposed format for 2012 looks to be a good thing and with the potential pathway to the

Asian Club Championship as an incentive, I think this will drive the sport in a good direction.

What’s next for you in terms of futsal, future plans? you must be knocking pretty hard on that Futsalroos door by now?2012 will be a good year. I have recently been sponsored by futsal brand ‘Joma’ and it has opened some exciting doors to promote futsal and their brand in the coming months. yeah, I will be training hard over the next month to try and impress Steve and earn a spot in the final fourteen squad for the Asian Cup Qualifiers and hopefully make my debut.

Editor’s Note: At the time of writing, Daniel had just been selected in the 24 man Qantas Futsalroos train-on squad, to prepare for the AFC Championships. Also selected were his former Maccabi Hakoah team mates Simon Keith and Jarrod Basger.

“AT 13 I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO CONCENTrATE ON FUTSAL AND ONLy

PLAyED FOOTBALL FrOM THEN ON IN SOCIAL COMPETITIONS”

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CALENDAr 2011/12

Sat/Sun 11/12 February 2012 National League Series 2 ASB Stadium, Auckland

Sat/Sun 11/12 February 2012 Futsal - NZ Masters Games Edgar Centre, Dunedin

Sat/Sun 3/4 March 2012 Coaching Workshop with Jose Venancio Lopez (National Coach - Spain) ASB Stadium, Auckland

Sat/Sun 17/18 March 2012 National League Series 3 ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Sat/Sun 26/27 March 2012 NZF-Futsal Secondary Schools National Futsal Championships ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Mon-Fri 21-25 May 2012 FIFA Futsal Level 1 Licence (TBC) ASB Stadium, Auckland

Fri-Sun 6-8th July 2012 National Junior Festival/National Youth Champs (TBC) ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Sat-Sun 27-28 October 2012 NZF-Futsal Girls and Women’s Tournament (TBC) ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Sat-Sun 8-9 December 2012 ASB Futsal National League Series 1 Venue TBC

Calendar2011/12

The New Zealand Secondary School Sports Council (NZSSSC) National Futsal Championships on 26/27 March 2012 is set to be a pinnacle event on the national Futsal calendar.

With the New Zealand Football-Futsal College Programme now operating in many regions and expanding nationwide in 2012 this competition is set to go from strength to strength. Get amongst it and become a part of the rapid development of this great game!

• NZSSSCNationalFutsalChampionships 2012

• SecondarySchoolTournamentweekMonday and Tuesday March 26th-27th 2012

• ASBIndoorSportsCentreWellington• Threegrades: Junior Boys-years 9-10 Senior Boys- years 11-13 Open Girls- years 9-13• $357perteamentry• Paymentmustbemadeinfullno

later than 14 days prior to event kick off (12th March).

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http://www.nzmg.com/sports-and-venues/sports-index/234-futsal-indoor-2012

https://reg.sportingpulse.com/v5/regoform.cgi?aID=14633&formID=15968

for rapid growth and seeing college students come through into the National League teams really puts a smile on my face. The first national girls and womens tournament was a big leap forward into the womens side of the game and we were all very pleased with the standard. The ASB Futsal National League. One project I really enjoyed was the Futsal in Schools programme we developed with AFF Futsal, Counties Manukau Sport and Otara Leisure Centre for Otara in South Auckland. Training coaches from the Manukau Institute of futsal to be able to go back into their community and deliver free coaching to the primary schools was great. The kids loved it and nobody missed out because of poverty. Still watching the kids loving the game is what drives me.

For just over two years, NZ Football Development Manager Dave Payne has led the integration of futsal into NZ Football’s ‘Whole of Football” Plan. He has a number of higlights to look back on in this period, not the least of which is the ASB National League, which now features on Sky TV. A tireless advocate for futsal, Power of Five found Payne in his usual upbeat mood, and full of enthusiasm for the upcoming programmes and projects to be rolled out over the next year, as he looks to cement futsal’s future in New Zealand’s sporting landscape.

Dave, its been just over two years since you came into the role of Futsal Development Manager at NZ Football. A lot has happened in that time. Are you happy with the progress of the game in New Zealand?yes, I can most definitely say a big yes. I am happy with where we have got to in such a short space of time. The rapid progress has had its rough side though and I think all of us involved with development of futsal have had to make a lot of sacrifices off the court to get to where we have. Again though it is this sheer determination of the futsal community to drive the game forward that has pushed us through to this stage.

Why is futsal important?Because it’s the most exciting, rewarding and enjoyable sport in the world. We have just got to make sure everyone gets a taste of it and we’ll have them hooked!

What have been the major highlights for you in terms of developing the game?There have been many milestones in the game in the last two years. The College Futsal Programme has provided us with a platform

Do you see any barriers to developing the game in New Zealand? How can we overcome these?In my mind barriers are in every part of life. My philosophy has always been to not invest time on breaking barriers but invest time in developing a good product. Whether developing sport or a business if you have a good product barriers move themselves.

It is clear that NZ Football sees the seven football federations as the key to delivering and growing the game. Its probably fair to say not all futsal people can see the merits of this approach. Can you explain the thinking behind this?Put simply, FIFA is the international governing body of futsal, Oceania is the region’s

DAVE PAyNEINTErVIEW

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governing body for futsal, NZ Football is the national governing body for futsal and the federations are our local governing bodies. Why try and fight the system? That builds barriers, working within the system and adding futsal to it is what we have done. Most federations were unable to deliver futsal previously not because of a lack of will but simply because there was no resource. By making futsal inclusive as it should be has meant we can reap the benefits of a recognised pathway. That has meant we have secured government and commercial funding that can be directed to all the regions of New Zealand not just the ones where the federations had resource. As of 2012 all federations will have staff and resources for futsal development.

What are the role of futsal or football clubs under the new structure?There are 500 football clubs in New Zealand. Virtually all futsal players play football. We are taking an approach similar to Spain or to some extent the UK where we develop futsal clubs from the football clubs. Barcelona would be a good example of this. Federation Futsal Centres running club based age/skill appropriate futsal leagues. Football clubs will be offered futsal coach education from their local federation futsal centre coach educators and develop their club utilising the NZF-Futsal Player Development Pathway. A lot has been achieved in referee Education in the last two years. you must be pleased with the growing number of referees we have in the game. We have really excelled in the referee department. Ken Wallace (NZF referee Development Manger) has done a superb job in educating the federation based referees. We now have nearly 200 Level One qualified

referees in New Zealand officiating between 500-700 games a week. The Level Two course will be delivered throughout 2012, demanding even higher quality referees which will lift the standard of the game further.

When can we realistically expect to see formal futsal coaching qualifications in New Zealand? What form may they take?The Futsal Coach Development Working Group was formed late last year with the task of developing the first stages of Futsal Coach Education that is New Zealand specific. Three modular based courses and one single introduction were sighted as the highest priority for 2012. The introduction to futsal-Junior/youth, Junior Level One, youth Level One and youth Level Two. We have deliberately left senior for 2013 so we can focus our resources in the core player development stages and create a quality product. By July 2012 Futsal Coach Educators will be based at every federation delivering courses throughout their respective regions.

What about junior and youth players. Are there any plans afoot to develop coaching or academy based programmes for these players? We will be piloting a federation futsal talent centre model leading to a national futsal talent centre in the youth framework in late 2012. This will be the future pathway to the National League teams and the Futsal Whites.

The National League is now in its second year and you’ve even managed to get coverage on Sky TV. It has been great for the game. you must be delighted with this...The ASB Futsal National League has been a great success. Thanks to ASB and Mainland Futsal Development Manager richard Bell utilising his world renowned filming services

we have managed to get futsal on TV. Getting exposure on Sky Sports is the best flyer you can produce to get the game out there. The feedback to date has been fantastic and the show will get better and better as we tweak the look and the teams continue to improve. Each series last year were blown away with how the teams just kept stepping up. Series One this year was by far the best games we’ve seen yet in New Zealand and it has been great to see the young guys pushing into the squads.

The Futsal Whites have had two cracks at the OFC Championships since you came on board and finished third both times. Do you see a gap between New Zealand and say, Solomon Islands? If so, how do we close that gap? How long will it take?The Solomon’s are exceptional futsal specialists. Not only do they know the game inside out they have such passion to perform at the highest level. Accumulated hours of play/training and starting young is why they are so dominant. The next four years will be spent creating futsal specialists with a heavy focus on youth development in 13-19 age group. Our goal is to qualify and compete at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 and I fully believe we will achieve this.

What are the main priorities over the next year or two?The Player Development Framework is priority one. Everything revolves around establishing and maintaining a pathway for futsal from junior through to senior, social to elite. That is the priority for the next five years.

“FUTSAL IS THE MOST EXCITING, rEWArDING AND ENJOyABLE SPOrT IN THE WOrLD. WE HAVE

JUST GOT TO MAKE SUrE EVEryONE GETS A TASTE OF IT AND WE’LL HAVE THEM HOOKED!

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THE POWER OF FIVE #3 February 2012