THE POWER OF FIVE #14 September 2015

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


THE MAGAZINE OF NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL FUTSAL ISSUE 14 SEPTEMBER 2015

TRANS TASMAN CUP/COMMENWEALTH CUPNZF YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCOTT GILLIGAN INTERVIEWFUTSAL IN VANUTUFUTSAL WHITES HISTORYNZ UNIVERSITY FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIPS



ISSN 2324-3813

Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ

WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ

The University of Auckland Football Club Men’s representative Futsal team with the champion University of New Caledonia team, following the final of the National University Futsal Championships at Massey University, Albany, in August.

The University of Auckland Football Club Women’s representative team, in the National University Futsal Championships.

Medals in the University’s Interfaculty Futsal tournament.

Commerce and Engineering players in the University’s Interfaculty Futsal tournament.

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the international futsal calendar and it certainly didn’t let anyone down in excitement. Over 170 youth matches and nine internationals over five days were on the futsal menu.

Not only did fans get down to watch the matches in person, over 400,000 minutes were viewed through our live streaming platform to New Zealand’s largest media website, www.stuff.co.nz. What a great week and milestones in New Zealand Futsal history! Thank you to all that took part, organised and watched in person or online.

All the very best and until next time...

Dave PayneNZ Football Futsal Development Manager

Across New Zealand, we have been forming relationships between our regional federations and their university/tertiary providers. Already we are seeing a steady participation uptake in new inter-hall and inter-faculty leagues and last month we saw the ‘ultimate’ university futsal challenge in the Inaugural National University Futsal Championships. Linking the colleges to universities provides an ideal participation bridge for those who want to continue their futsal into higher education and just as importantly - it is bringing many new young participants into the sport we love.

The National Youth Championships this year were combined with two international events to set the milestone of the largest futsal event to be held in New Zealand to date. We introduced the Commonwealth Futsal Cup to

WELCOME...

Hello and welcome to the second edition of The Power of Five for 2015.

It has been a busy few months for futsal development in New Zealand since our last issue, with regular annual national events taking place and alongside new ventures in areas we had yet to focus on - and already we are starting to reap the rewards of opening additional participant pathways.

College Futsal has exploded in New Zealand and and makes up a large percentage of our overall participation base. The missing link is ‘where to next’? Much work is going on to address all areas of post-college futsal, but one where we have been very successful is in the tertiary/university sector.

Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ


PHOTO: Masanori Udagawa | www.photowellington.com

www.photowellington.photoshelter.com

YOUTH FUTSAL AT ‘NEW LEVEL’, 400,000 MINUTES VIEWED ONLINE

WELLINGTON – The fifth edition of the NZF Youth National Futsal Championships took place in July, with 52 teams from each of New Zealand’s seven football federations battling it out over six competitions at the ‘home of futsal’, the ASB Sports Centre in Kilbirnie, Wellington.

The Championships were set against the backdrop of international futsal action, with the annual three match Trans Tasman Cup between New Zealand’s Futsal Whites and Australia’s Futsalroos, and the inaugural Commonwealth Cup featuring New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Vanuatu taking place at the same venue in the evenings, making it the biggest futsal event ever seen in this country.

The two day girls tournament saw Auckland beat Capital 4-1 in the U-19s final, while Mainland took the U-15 title after a hard fought 4-2 win over Auckland.

In the boys event, Mainland and Waikato were the dominant federations with Waikato coming from behind against Northern to win 2-1 in extra time in a thrilling U19s final. Mainland meanwhile, won both the U16s and U14s, beating Waikato 3-0 and Capital 8-2 respectively.

NZF Futsal Development Manager Dave Payne said the success of the championships had taken futsal to a new level in New Zealand.

“It is time to say a huge thank you to the whole futsal community for delivering the biggest ever futsal event in New Zealand. It was a huge challenge to run the event in parallel with two major international series, but the players, parents, supporters, referees, staff and the countless volunteers never missed a beat”, Payne said.

“The professionalism and dedication to futsal right across New Zealand is quite inspirational. This event marks a new era for the game on our shores and everyone here this weekend will be able to look back in the future and say they were part of that,” Payne said.

Payne says the success of the tournament is a clear indication of New Zealand’s stature as a rising force in in futsal development.

NATIONAL YOUTHChampionships 2015

“One of the real innovations of the tournament has been the live streaming of games. As of Sunday, over 400,000 minutes of futsal action had been viewed. We showcased New Zealand futsal to the world and have shown we are a leading futsal development nation.”

Payne was also delighted with the standard of play over the five days and foresees a very bright future for the next generation of New Zealand international players.

“When watching the finals in particular, it really hit home how far we have come since this tournament was inaugurated five years ago. The boys U19 final for example was a fantastic spectacle. Almost all the players who were on court are already playing in the NZF Futsal national league and some will soon be ready to make the step up to the Futsal Whites.”

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TABLES/RESULTS/AWARDS

U19 BOYS

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSFutsal South 4 4 0 0 21 8 13 12Central-Hawke’s Bay 4 3 0 1 25 4 21 9 Capital 4 2 0 2 10 11 -1 6 Bay of Plenty 4 0 1 3 2 16 -14 1 Auckland 4 0 1 3 5 24 -19 1 GROUP B P W D L F A GD PTSWaikato 4 3 0 1 18 5 13 9 Mainland 4 3 0 1 16 7 9 9 WaiBop 4 2 0 2 14 14 0 6 Northern 4 2 0 2 8 8 0 6 Central-Manawatu 4 0 0 4 2 24 -22 0

PLAYOFFSCentral-Manawatu 0 AFF 2 South 5 WaiBOP 2 Bay of Plenty 4 Mainland 9 WaiBOP 4 Bay of Plenty 2 South 8 Mainland 3 SEMI FINALSNorthern 4 Central-Hawke’s Bay 1 Waikato 4 Capital 0

3RD PLACE PLAYOFFCentral-Hawke’s Bay 2 Capital 7

FINALNorthern 1 Waikato 2

PLACINGS 1. Waikato 2. Northern 3. Capital 4. Central – Hawkes Bay 5. South 6. Mainland 7. WaiBOP 8. Bay of Plenty 9. Auckland 10. Central – Manawatu AWARDS Most Valuable Player – Callum Holmes – Capital Futsal Golden Glove – Ryan Watson – Waikato Futsal Golden Boot – Kyle Wisnewski – Waikato Futsal (12)

U16 BOYS

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSAuckland 4 3 0 1 25 15 10 9 Nelson Bays 4 3 0 1 24 15 9 9 South 4 3 0 1 16 10 6 9 Central White 4 1 0 3 10 18 - 8 3 Capital Black 4 0 0 4 11 28 - 7 0

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSMainland 4 4 0 0 25 6 19 12 Capital 4 3 0 1 16 11 5 9 Central 4 1 1 2 13 13 0 4 Waikato 4 1 1 2 17 20 - 3 4 New Caledonia 4 0 0 4 7 28 - 21 0 PLAYOFFSAuckland 6 Nelson Bays 5 Central White 3 Capital Yellow 10 Auckland 4 Capital Yellow 5 Nelson Bays 8 Central White 7 New Caledonia 6 Capital Black 5

3RD PLACE PLAYOFFCentral Green 2 South 5

SEMI FINALSMainland 4 South 3 Waikato 6 Central Green 4

FINALWaikato 0 Mainland 3 PLACINGS 1. Mainland Futsal 2. Waikato Futsal 3. Futsal South 4. Central Futsal Green 5. Capital Futsal Yellow 6. AFF Futsal 7. Nelson Bays Futsal 8. Central Futsal White 9. New Caledonia Futsal 10. Capital Futsal Black AWARDS Most Valuable Player – Kausuo Christophe – New Caledonia Golden Glove – Callum Cameron – Mainland Futsal Golden Boot – Ben Lapslie – Mainland Futsal (16)

U14 BOYS

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSMainland 5 5 0 0 64 13 51 15Central - HB Black 5 3 0 2 35 13 22 9Central-Manawatu 5 3 0 2 36 29 7 9Capital Yellow 5 2 0 3 47 23 24 6Bay of Plenty 5 2 0 3 21 37 16 6Northern 5 0 0 5 3 91 88 0 GROUP BCapital Black 5 5 0 0 29 13 16 15Nelson Bays 5 4 0 1 36 7 29 12Auckland 5 2 1 2 34 14 20 7Waikato 5 2 1 2 31 14 17 7New Caledonia 5 1 0 4 10 27 17 3Central - HB White 5 0 0 5 8 73 65 0 PLAYOFFSCapital Black 1 Nelson Bays 3 Waikato 2 Auckland 7 Auckland 3 Nelson Bays 2 Waikato 2 Capital Black 2 Central-Hawke’s Bay White 4 Bay of Plenty 13 Northern 0 New Caledonia 6 Bay of Plenty 2 New Caledonia1 Central-Hawke’s Bay White 7 Northern 1

3RD PLACE PLAYOFFCentral-Hawke’s Bay Black 6 Central-Manawatu 5

SEMI FINALSCapital Yellow 6 Central-Manawatu 4 Mainland 5 Central-Hawke’s Bay Black 0

FINALMainland 8 Capital Yellow 2 PLACINGS 1. Mainland 2. Capital Yellow 3. Central – Hawkes Bay Black 4. Central – Manawatu 5. Auckland 6. Nelson Bays 7. Waikato 8. Capital Black 9. Bay of Plenty 10. New Caledonia 11. Central – Hawkes Bay White 12. Northern AWARDS Most Valuable Player – Thomas Baker – Northern Golden Glove – Scott Morris – Nelson Bays Golden Boot – Ethan Yee – Capital Yellow (22)

U19 GIRLS

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSCapital 4 3 1 0 6 3 3 10Northern 4 3 0 1 15 6 9 9Auckland 4 2 0 2 20 5 15 6Mainland 4 1 1 2 4 9 - 5 4Central-Hawke’s Bay 4 0 0 4 2 24 -22 0 PLAYOFFMainland 1 Central-Hawke’s Bay 2

SEMI FINALSNorthern 5 Auckland 6 Capital 3 Central-Hawke’s Bay 0

3RD PLACE PLAYOFFCentral-Hawke’s Bay Black 6 Central-Manawatu 5

FINAL Auckland 4 Capital 1

PLACINGS 1. Auckland 2. Capital 3. Northern 4. Central – Hawkes Bay 5. Mainland AWARDS Most Valuable Player – Lauren Hartridge – Central-Hawke’s Bay Golden Glove – Sophie Armitage – Capital Golden Boot – Hannah Kraakman – Auckland (9)

U19 GIRLS

GROUP A P W D L F A GD PTSMainland 4 3 1 0 36 8 28 10Auckland 4 3 0 1 16 11 5 9Capital 4 2 1 1 18 18 0 7WaiBop 4 1 0 3 19 24 - 5 3Central-Hawke’s Bay 4 0 0 4 4 32 - 28 0 PLAYOFFWaiBop 4 Central-Hawke’s Bay 5

SEMI FINALSAuckland 6 Capital 0 Mainland 15 Central-Hawke’s Bay 3

3RD PLACE PLAYOFFCapital 6 Central-Hawke’s Bay 4

FINAL Auckland 2 Mainland 4

PLACINGS1. Mainland 2. Auckland 3. Capital 4. Central – Hawkes Bay 5. WaiBOP

AWARDS Most Valuable Player – Amy Waters – Auckland Goldent Glove – Blair Currie – MainlandGolden Boot – Brittanylee Nicholson – Mainland (14)

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New Futsal White Luc Saker on the ballPhoto: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ


Futsal Whites captain Marvin Eakins pulled another goal back late on from the ten-metre penalty mark to complete the scoring.

NEW ZEALAND: Elias BILLEH (GK), Marvin EAKINS, Daniel BURNS, Dylan MANICKUM, Miroslav MALIVUK. Substitutes: Atta ELAYYAN (GK), Jonathan STEELE, Ernesto LOPEZ, James VAUGHAN, Kareem OSMAN, Jakub SINKORA, Lucas DA SILVA, Josh MARGETTS, Brayden LISSINGTON.

9 JULY 2015ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Australia retain Trans Tasman CupNEW ZEALAND 1 (Eakins) AUSTRALIA 6 (de Moraes 2, Fogarty, Basger, Giovenali, Kelshaw)

WELLINGTON - The Futsalroos were too strong for the Futsal Whites on their way to a comprehensive 6-1 victory at the ASB Sports Centre in Wellington, securing the Trans Tasman Cup for the fourth consecutive time with a game to spare.

After an even opening ten minutes which saw both teams create a number of chances, Australia punished a New Zealand turnover when skipper Fernando de Moreas pounced on a loose ball, took it around

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Futsalroos take Game OneNEW ZEALAND 2(Burns, Eakins)AUSTRALIA 4 (Musumeci, Guerreiro, de Moraes, Barrientos)

WELLINGTON - The Australian Futsalroos opened the Trans Tasman Cup series with a 4-2 win over the Futsal Whites at the ASB Sports Centre in Wellington.

The visitors held a 2-0 halftime lead thanks to first period goals to Marino Musumeci and Jordan Guerreiro and they were 3-0 ahead when Fernando De Moraes slotted home in the second period.

But the home side responded well and a goal to Daniel Burns – who plays for Dural Warriors in the Australian F-League competition – got the hosts on the board before a fourth goal to the visitors through Jonathan Barrientos made it 4-1.

FUTSALROOS RETAIN TROPHY IN THREE MATCH WELLINGTON SERIES

TRANS TASMAN CUP

New Zealand goalkeeper Atta Elayyan and rolled it home to give his side the lead.

Soon after, the impressive Adam Cooper drilled a cross/shot from wide on the right hand side of the court for Daniel Fogarty to bundle home at the back post.

A solo effort after 17 minutes from New Zealand’s perennial tormentor, Jarrod Basger, gave Australia a three goal cushion at the break. Basger finished with a nicely placed shot from centre court after winning the ball at the halfway mark.

The Futsal Whites started the second half the brighter of the two sides, and were rewarded with their only goal of the night in the 22nd minute, a nicely angled finish from Marvin Eakins. It was the New Zealand captain’s nineteenth international goal, edging him ahead of Dylan Manickum as the Futsal Whites all-time leading goalscorer.

No sooner had New Zealand pulled a goal back when de Moraes was allowed too much time and space to finish easily from a well-worked indirect free kick on the edge of the New Zealand penalty area.

Wade Giovenali was the next scorer for the Australians, with a turn and neat finish on the half hour mark, and Glenn Kelshaw wrapped things up four minutes from end, ghosting in at the far post to steer the ball past Elayyan

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SC0959_NZFGuidelines16.pdfNEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL BRAND GUIDELINES | © NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL

C . INTERNATIONAL | C08. FUTSAL WHITES

The Futsal Whites are New Zealand Football’s Senior International Men’s Futsal Team .

When using the Futsal Whites logo please ensure that it either features on a white or black background . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo . Never change the colour of the logo, distort or stretch it or put a transparent version of the logo over a complex background .

UNIFORM LOGO SET

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C . INTERNATIONAL | C10. TRANS TASMAN CUP

The Trans Tasman Cup is New Zealand Football’s branding for the Annual International Men’s Futsal series vs . Australia .

When using the Trans Tasman Cup logo please ensure that it features on a similar background colour to the version you are using . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo .

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as we can. Hopefully, we can take our chances and it will be a lot closer. If so, it will give us some momentum going into the games against Malaysia and Vanuatu on the weekend.”

NEW ZEALAND: Atta Elayyan (GK), Marvin EAKINS, Daniel BURNS, Dylan MANICKUM, Miroslav MALIVUK. Substitutes: Jonathan STEELE, Ernesto LOPEZ, Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM, James VAUGHAN, Kareem OSMAN, Lucas DA SILVA, Josh MARGETTS, Luc SAKER, Elias BILLEH (GK).

after New Zealand had been reduced to three outfield players following Lucas da Silva’s red card for a reckless challenge.

Though disappointed to concede a fourth consecutive Trans Tasman Cup, Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan was pleased with his side’s ability to create chances against the 28th world ranked opposition.

“What is encouraging about the two games so far is we have created a lot more against the Australians than we ever

have. The scoreline doesn’t reflect that, but for me, the main difference between the two sides is the finishing. If we can learn to put our chances away it will make a huge difference,” he said.

The final match of the Trans Tasman Cup doubled as the opening game of the inaugural Commonwealth Cup and Gilligan retained his optimism ahead of the clash.

“It is up to us to set a good platform for the new competition and to play as well

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Futsalroo Jonathan Barrientos cannot escape the attentions of Ernesto Lopez [3], Kareem Osman [6] and Lucas da Silva [11] in Game 2.Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ



Australia strike late to deny Futsal WhitesNEW ZEALAND 2 (Margetts, Ashby-Peckham)AUSTRALIA 3 (Fogarty 2, Giovenali)

VANUATU 2 MALAYSIA 7

WELLINGTON - The Futsalroos completed a Trans Tasman Cup clean sweep with a late 3-2 win over the Futsal Whites in a thrllling Game 3 in Wellington, at the same time securing three points in the opening round of the inaugural Commonwealth Cup.

New Zealand’s best performance against the Futsalroos in their 23 year history saw them bounce back from 2-0 early in the second half to draw level late in the game, before Daniel Fogarty’s late strike denied the Futsal Whites their first ever draw against their Trans-Tasman foes.

Australia settled into a familiar pattern of possession in the opening period, but New

Zealand’s compact defence managed to soak up the pressure until midway through the first half, when Daniel Fogarty opened the scoring after latching on to an angled pass by Dean Lockhart, to drill the ball past Elias Billeh.

As in the opening two matches, New Zealand created opportunities of their own in the first half, the best of which saw Daniel Burns denied by the post for the second time in the series, following a swift counter attack.

Wade Giovenali’s back post finish following some good work on the right-hand flank by Australian skipper Fernando De Moraes looked to have set Australia up for a comfortable second spell, but new Futsal White Josh Margetts had different ideas, hammering home from a kick-in midway through the second period.

Stephen Ashby Peckham’s cool finish following a counter-attack brought the Futsal Whites level and set up a nail-biting finale, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Both sides had opportunities to score in the final stages, before the dynamic Fogarty finished from wide following a New Zealand turnover, denying the Futsal Whites their first ever result against their Australian rivals.

Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan was delighted with his side’s performance despite the frustration of conceding late in the game.

“The performance was outstanding, especially following the disappointment we felt after last night, which was like the days of old. But we talked today about having character, and about standing up, and tonight they did that”, Gilligan said.

“It is the night that futsal came of age in New Zealand, but now we have to emulate that performance every time we walk on the court.”

Gilligan was particularly pleased with the contribution of the young players in the squad as New Zealand builds towards the OFC Futsal Championship in 2016.

“I’m excited for these boys and I’m proud of them, because we’ve changed the squad and brought some new players in,” Gilligan said.

“So if you look at someone like Luc Saker - who is only 17 years old - he was an example of someone who really stood up tonight, so it’s great for the future and gives us confidence for next year’s qualifier.”

Malaysia were too strong for Vanuatu in the second game of the evening, winning 7-3 after leading 3-0 at half time. The win took Malaysia to the top of the Commonwealth Cup table, ahead of Australia on goal difference.

FUTSALROOS WIN INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT

COMMONWEALTH CUP11



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C . INTERNATIONAL | C10. TRANS TASMAN CUP

The Trans Tasman Cup is New Zealand Football’s branding for the Annual International Men’s Futsal series vs . Australia .

When using the Trans Tasman Cup logo please ensure that it features on a similar background colour to the version you are using . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo .

CMYK: C0 M0 Y0 K0



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NEW ZEALAND: Elias BILLEH (GK), Marvin EAKINS, Daniel BURNS, Dylan MANICKUM, Miroslav MALIVUK. Substitutes: Ata Elayyan (GK), Jonathan STEELE, Ernesto LOPEZ, Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM, Kareem OSMAN, Jakub SINKORA, Josh MARGETTS, Brayden LISSINGTON, Luc SAKER.

COMMONWEALTH CUP11 JULY 2015ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Malaysia down Futsal WhitesNEW ZEALAND 2 (Burns, Saker)MALAYSIA 5 (Fawzul Hadzir, Saiful Nizam, Amar Ashraf, Syed Aizad Daniel, Saiful Aula)

AUSTRALIA 10 VANUATU 2

WELLINGTON - Malaysia set up a winner-take-all final Commonwealth Cup match against Australia on Sunday after a

5-2 victory over the Futsal Whites in Wellington on Saturday night.

New Zealand’s confidence looked to be riding high following last Friday night’s performance against Australia and they made an electric start when Daniel Burns volleyed home Mickey Malivuk’s cross after two minutes.

Though Malaysia settled into a period of controlled possession, New Zealand looked composed on defence and threatened the AFC side’s goal on the break several times. The ‘Magestic Tigers’ though, were finally rewarded for their efforts four minutes before halftime when Ahmad Fawzul Hadzir’s back post finish was deflected into the goal by New Zealand goalkeeper Elias Billeh.

Saiful Nizam struck a second almost immediately following a turnover just inside the New Zealand half, giving Malaysia a 2-1 lead at the break.

New Zealand were punished twice more for turning over possession in the early part of the second spell, with Amar Ashraf and Syed Aizad Daniel finishing swiftly to give the Malaysians a three goal cushion.

Seventeen year old Luc Saker then pulled one back for the Futsal Whites, rounding Malaysian goalkeeper Azrul Hadee to poke home after an excellent run down the right hand side of the court.

Saiful Aula completed the scoring for Malaysia with a clinical strike after pouncing on a New Zealand error.

Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan said fatigue was a factor for his side after three difficult games against Australia.

“After a very good opening ten minutes, I felt the execution of the passes and the movements were a little bit below par from us,” Gilligan said.

Gilligan said with every match there are positive signs of progress for the Futsal Whites, as he utilises the opportunity to try out different combinations and give game time to the crop of new players in the squad.

“There some bright young kids coming through and it has also been pleasing to see we now have players in the group who can and will take the opposition on. Now the challenge is working with them on when and when not to do it, because we haven’t had a lot of time with them.”

Gilligan said it was important to finish the busy week of international games with a good performance against Vanuatu.

“For sure we need a victory tomorrow night against the Oceania team, because

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New Futsal White Ernesto Lopez takes on Adam Cooper.Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ


we have to build on what we have learned following four very difficult games against AFC teams.

Australia overcame Vanuatu 10-2 in the late game to go top of the table in the Commonwealth Cup on goal difference from Malaysia. Australia led 3-1 at halftime.

NEW ZEALAND: Elias BILLEH (GK), Marvin EAKINS, Daniel BURNS, Dylan MANICKUM, Miroslav MALIVUK. Substitutes: Ata Elayyan (GK), Jonathan STEELE, Ernesto LOPEZ, Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM, Kareem OSMAN, Jakub SINKORA, Josh MARGETTS, Brayden LISSINGTON, Luc SAKER.

COMMONWEALTH CUP12 JULY 2015ASB Sports Centre, Wellington

Australia edge Malaysia to win cup, record win for Futsal WhitesNew Zealand 10 (Steele, Osman 3, Manickum 2, Sinkora, Lopez, Saker, Margetts)Vanuatu 3 (Soromon, Hanghangkong, Hungai)

Australia 1 Malaysia 0

A goal avalanche from the Futsal Whites saw them rack up their highest ever score at home, a 10-4 mauling of Vanuatu in Wellington, to finish third in the inaugural Commonwealth Cup tournament.

Vanuatu looked by far the more aggressive of the two sides in the early stages of the game, and rocked New Zealand with two well taken goals in the opening seven

minutes. The impressive Don Mansale drove into the New Zealand half and set up an easy finish for Wairarapa United’s Seule Soromon, before Joseph Hanghangkong finished at the back post following a swift counter attack.

The Futsal Whites got on the scoreboard when Jono Steele slid in to meet Kareem Osman’s cross after 11 minutes, and then Osman took advantage of some nondescript defending at a corner one minute later to draw the Futsal Whites level.

Osman then finished at the back post following Ernesto Lopez’s parried shot and Dylan Manickum tucked away Luc Saker’s cross before Jakub Sinkora’s solo effort made it five.

A late goal from Vanuatu captain Ben Hungai brought it back to 5-3 at the break.

New Zealand’s momentum continued in the second half with Saker and Manickum combining again – Manickum’s 20th international goal made him the all-time leading Futsal Whites scorer.

Don Mansale kept Vanuatu in touch following a free kick, before Ernesto Lopez fired in from a seemingly impossible angle after 23 minutes. Osman completed his hat trick after a rapid counter attack and then Saker finally had his reward when he finished an excellent move at the back post to make it 9-4.

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Futsalroo Daniel Fogarty continued his dynamic form in the final.Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ


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The scoring was completed when Josh Margetts combined with his Central-Manawatu team mate Steele to make it double figures for New Zealand in the 39th minute.

Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan was unhappy with the Futsal Whites poor start to the game, but was always confident his side could turn the game around once they could score their first goal.

“Vanuatu have some excellent players but the difference between the two sides was structure,” Gilligan said.

“I was pleased that it was some of the newer players who stood up, were able to turn things around and bring us back into the game.”

Australia edged Malaysia 1-0 in the final game of the tournament to complete a Trans-Tasman and Commonwealth Cup double. Wade Giovenali’s back post finish midway through the second half was all that separated the two sides in an entertaining all-AFC affair.

The win was Australia’s nineteenth consecutive victory in New Zealand since their first game on New Zealand soil in 2012.

NEW ZEALAND: Ata Elayyan (GK), Marvin EAKINS, Daniel BURNS, Dylan MANICKUM, Miroslav MALIVUK. Substitutes: Jonathan STEELE, Ernesto LOPEZ, Stephen ASHBY-PECKHAM, Kareem OSMAN, Jakub SINKORA, Josh MARGETTS, Brayden LISSINGTON, Luc SAKER, Elias BILLEH (GK)

Vanuatu pivot Dudley Dominique tries to block Kareem Osman’s shot.Photo: WWW.PHOTOSPORT.CO.NZ


1992 OFC Five-A-Side Tournament• L Australia 2-9 • L Vanuatu 4-9 • L Australia 0-3• L Vanuatu 4-6

1999 OFC Futsal Championship• W Cook Islands 3-2 • L Vanuatu 2-4 • L Fiji 1-7 • W Samoa 4-3 • L Australia 1-10• L Papua New Guinea 1-8

2004 OFC Futsal Championship• W Vanuatu 4-2 • L Australia 0-4 • W Solomon Islands 8-4 • W Fiji 4-2 • W Samoa 6-2

HISTORY & RESULTS 1992-2015

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2005 Friendly Series• L Australia 3-11 • L Australia 2-10 • L Australia 3-8

2008 Friendly Match• L Australia 2-11

OFC Futsal Championship• L Solomon Islands 1-5 (Al Saudi)• W Vanuatu 2-1 (Gwilliam, O’Connor)

L Tahiti 2-3 (Martin, Eakins)• W Tuvalu 13-1 (Al Saudi 7, Eakins 2,

Ragued, O’Connor, Naidoo, Gwilliam) • W New Caledonia 3-2 (Martin, Zaia, Al

Saudi)• L Fiji 1-4 (Martin)

THE ‘ORIGINALS’ - 1992

[1] 1992 The first NZ indoor football team - made up of Auckland-based outdoor football players - travelled to Brisbane and finished third [Australia 1st, Vanuatu 2nd] at the Oceania qualifying tournament for the FIFA five-a-side World Championships. [2] 2008 Long-serving Futsal White pivot Bakr Al-Saudi scored a record seven goals against Tuvalu. [3] 2008 Solomon Islands beat NZ 5-1 in the OFC Championships in Suva, on their way to qualifying for FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. Marvin Eakins [#4] featured for the Futsal Whites for the first time in 2008.

1 2 3

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2010OFC Futsal Championship• L Solomon Islands 4-8 (Malivuk 3,

Eakins) • W Vanuatu 3-2 (Eakins 2, Silva) • W Tahiti 2-1 (Soleimanpour, Silva)• W Fiji 6-4 (Malivuk 4, Manickum, Silva)• W Tuvalu 7-1 (Manickum, Eakins,

Soleimanpour, Major 2, Malivuk, Lissington)

• L New Caledonia 4-6 (Malivuk 2, Soleimanpour, Major)

2011 OFC Futsal Championship• D Fiji 4-4 (Eakins 2, Silva, Manickum) • W Kiribati 21-1 (Robertson 5, Manickum

4, Eakins 3, Sinkora 2, Major 2, Malivuk 2, Silva, Assad, Koprivcic)

• W Vanuatu 6-4 (Sinkora, Robertson 2, Malivuk, Manickum, O’Connor)

• L Tahiti 3 (Pen 3) – 3 (Pen 4) (Koprivcic, Robertson, Eakins)

• W Vanuatu 1 (Pen 5) – 1 (Pen 4) (Malivuk)

2012 Trans Tasman Cup• L Australia 0-3 • L Australia 1-6 (Al Saudi) • L Australia 2-6 (Sinkora, Manickum)

[1] 2010 The first Futsal Whites teams selected under the auspices of NZ Football finished third at the OFC Futsal Championship in Suva. [2] 2011 Following a devastating penaly shootout loss to Tahiti in the semi-final, Futsal Whites finished third at OFC Championships 2011, with long serving pivot, Nathan Robertson finishing his international career in style with six tournament goals. [3] 2012 Australia’s Futsalroos won the inaugural Trans Tasman Cup in Auckland.

1 2 3

New Zealand v Fiji, Suva, 2010 Inaugural Trans Tasman Cup, Auckland, 2012

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2013 Alphonse Greig Cup Challenge• L Tahiti 1-3 (Barham)• L Tahiti 2-4 (Eakins, Vaughan)• L Tahiti 0-2

Trans Tasman Cup• L Australia 0-3 • L Australia 0-4 • L Australia 0-7

OFC Futsal Invitational Championship• W Solomon Islands 7-3 (Manickum 5,

Osman, Vaughan) • L Malaysia 1-7 (Manickum)• W New Caledonia 7-2 (Burns 2, own

goal, Manickum 2, Eakins, Sinkora)• L Australia 0-2• W Tahiti 1-0 (Burns)

2014 Trans Tasman Cup• L Australia 3-5 (Bertos, Osman 2• L Australia 0-6 • L Australia 1-7 (Fischer)

OFC Futsal Invitational Championship• W Malaysia 4-1 (Fischer 2, Manickum,

Osman) • W Vanuatu 5-1 (Eakins 2, Kamri, Fischer,

Elayyan)• L New Caledonia 1-2 (Kamri)• L Tahiti 0-2

2015 Trans Tasman Cup• L Australia 2-4 (Burns, Eakins)• L Australia 1-6 (Burns)

Commonwealth Cup• L Australia 2-3 (Margetts, Ashby-

Peckham)• L Malaysia 2-5 (Burns, Saker)• W Vanuatu 10-4 (Steele, Osman 3,

Manickum 2, Sinkora, Lopez, Saker, Margetts)

[1] 2013 Futsal Whites finished top Oceania team in the inaugural OFC Futsal Invitational Championship. Dylan Manickum won the Golden Boot and scored five goals against Solomon Islands. [2] 2014 Teenager Jan Fischer scored as New Zealand achieved its first ever victory over a side outside of the OFC nations, beating Malaysia from AFC 4-1 in Noumea. [3] 2015 Miroslav Malivuk in action against Australia, with the Futsal Whites achieving their best ever result against their Trans Tasman rivals, going down 2-3 in Wellington.

1 2 3

New Zealand v Tahiti, Papeete, 2013 New Zealand v Australia, Wellington, 2015

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Photo: OFC

techniques now for the sport and this is culminating in some pulsating games in the competitions conducted by NZF like the National League, National Championships and the National Schools Championships.

What about the challenges that lie ahead… what are the greatest areas of need for futsal, as the sport seeks to establish itself on the sporting landscape in New Zealand.

There are a number of areas that need addressing and these will be as time passes.

The National League needs to further expand and include both Women and Youth components. Ideally I would like to see two teams from each federation and the League conducted on a home and away basis.

A talent identification program for all ages is being developed and will be passed onto the federations.

A women’s national team needs to be developed which in turn will attract more female participation, which is imperative to warrant this initiative.

Coaching courses, both for coaches and referees, are being conducted regularly and further education in this area is continually being updated and expanded.

Each federation needs to build a full scale federation league for the elite players to ply their trade in order to be given further representative opportunities.

An identified futsal-only sponsor needs to be sought to sustain continued growth throughout the sport.

Most of these are initiatives in the pipeline for NZF but of course will take time to implement.

Just over three years have passed since Power of Five sat down with newly appointed Futsal Whites coach Scott Gilligan to get his views on the rapidly developing New Zealand futsal scene of the time [Issue #4, May 2012]. Since then, the game has continued to progress steadily at all levels, as NZ Football strives to deliver ‘the world’s leading futsal development system’. Meanwhile Gilligan, in his main role, has overseen the national team in a busy programme of 26 matches, as they build towards the OFC Futsal Championship in Tahiti in 2016. With less than six months left before the crucial World Cup qualifying tournamment, Power of Five took the opportunity to get the Australian-based technician’s ‘state of the nation’ futsal assessment.

Scott, before we get onto your work with the national team, it would be good to take a look at the last 3 ½ years in overall futsal development in New Zealand, since your time with the Futsal Whites. So much has happened, and the numbers playing the game have increased quite dramatically in this time. Any thoughts on what you see as the main areas where futsal has developed, or improved?

Certainly the overall structure for Futsal in New Zealand under NZF’s Futsal Development Manager, Dave Payne, has been improved dramatically. There are tangible pathways available across all facets of the game and this has no doubt had a huge impact on the growth of the sport in general. Younger players coming through are being taught the correct

How would you compare New Zealand’s futsal development programme in relation to some you have seen around the world, particularly outside Oceania?

New Zealand is in a very good space when it comes to futsal development and seem to be better equipped to deal with the growth of the sport. With the inclusion of futsal in the NZF Whole of Football Plan the sport has been growing at an average rate of 17% per year since 2010. As each of the seven federations also has development officers in place exclusively for futsal this means the growth will continue throughout New Zealand for years to come.

In your work as a FIFA instructor, you have travelled to some interesting places. What country (again - outside Oceania) has provided your most memorable course and why?

I would have to say Vietnam. This course was conducted to approximately 45 participants. When delivering the theory components all were focused on the content and wrote everything down. It was difficult to get much interaction during these sessions. However when it came to the practical sessions the interaction between participants was excellent. All were continually providing feedback and expanding on ideas with each other

Luckily, Patrick Jacquemet (from OFC) came along to help with this course as we were developing a coaching course structure for Oceania at the time so his help was invaluable.

In your instructor work, do you see similar themes for futsal around the world – e.g.

SCOTT GILLIGANINTERVIEW

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federations and pass on the knowledge attained. The last 18 months has been about finding the right mix and continually looking for an ex factor to bring into the squad. Luckily the national league has been improving every year and there has been new players emerging every year. Of course this hasn’t led to stability but the process has yielded some excellent players and has made my job to finalise my squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifier more and more difficult. However I believe the squad continues to improve and certainly the lead up to these qualifiers will be one of the best teams New Zealand has had in Futsal Whites history. I have complete confidence in the current squad and am confident that the final selection will have a very good chance of qualification.

It seems that the depth in the squad that you have always sought has started to emerge – in particular we saw very good performances from some of the younger players in the recent international season. Would you agree there is now a more even level across the squad – more competition - that perhaps wasn’t there in the past?

The last week long camp in April was the most competitive I have been involved with as all players have a point to prove and the new players have brought a greater level of intensity. This certainly has made the selection process very difficult indeed.

The Futsal Whites have always struggled against Australia but this year, in the final game of the Trans Tasman Cup, it was a very close, 2-3. What was the difference in this game from previous encounters with the Futsalroos? Do you see it as a something of a breakthrough moment for

the struggle for futsal to establish itself as the ‘little brother’ of football, or the lack of football member association commitment to truly developing the game? Or is the landscape changing for the better in futsal?

Yes, the same problems exist in most countries. Of course there are many passionate people continually pushing the sport of futsal to the fore and there are changes occurring everywhere. As the sport is cementing itself into the fabric of football in countries that have embraced futsal, more and more people are being exposed and embracing the benefits that the sport offers, both as a development tool as well as a sport in its own right. The increase in countries around the world that now have futsal in their football programmes has grown continually and this is proof positive of the sport’s appeal. The continual push for a FIFA Women’s World Cup and the push for inclusion into the Olympics show that futsal is changing the landscape.

The Futsal Whites have had mixed success since you took on the job 2012. But this is natural, as you have been building towards a very important tournament - the OFC Championship 2016, and in many ways you were starting from the beginning with this team. You have had a chance to look at many players during this time. Are you fairly happy with where the squad is at six months out from the qualifier? Do these players give you confidence heading into the final, and most important phase?

The first two years were all about development and educating as many players in different federations as possible. I would have brought approximately 60 players through in that period. These players have been able to go back to their

“MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE BEING EXPOSED AND EMBRACING THE BENEFITS THAT THE SPORT OFFERS, BOTH AS A DEVELOPMENT TOOL AS WELL AS A SPORT IN ITS OWN RIGHT”

this squad and for futsal in general in New Zealand?

As we had already lost the Trans Tasman Series we approached the game as the first game of the Commonwealth Cup and therefore it held much more importance than a dead rubber. The players knew that they had underperformed in the previous match and we challenged them to perform at the best of their ability instead of, what I believed to be, an under par performance. The players all performed much better in this one game than I have seen them play in previous series’ and I believe they set a new standard that they now need to emulate in future international matches. They proved to themselves that they can rise to the standard required and now it is about finding that consistency to perform at that level every time they take the court.

With the qualifiers in Tahiti not until February, what is the plan between now and then. Are there any more international games or training camps? What part will the NZF Futsal National League play in your preparations?

As the Qualifiers were rescheduled to February by FIFA, it has meant a total revamp of our lead up to this competition. Initially we had a more comprehensive program planned for the six months leading up to August 2015, when the qualifier was originally scheduled. Once the change occurred we pushed everything back and consequently the first half of 2015 was fairly barren with only a camp in April to utilise as selections for the Trans Tasman and Commonwealth Cup, which was held in July.

Throughout August and September we have a roadshow organised for each

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federation. During this period we will utilise a core of players, whom reside close to each federation, to work on combinations and cohesiveness. Not all players will attend every roadshow however it is a good tool to keep developing our team structure and individual abilities. At the end of September we have a six day camp which will see 20 players invited to attend. This camp will focus on team work under pressure.

The National League gets underway in October and culminates with a finals series in Auckland in December. Straight after players will stay in camp for another five days where they will play a three game series against FC Ferrand from New Caledonia. In January, the plan is to take the final squad of 14 players to Sydney where we will be in camp for a week and play four teams from the premier league in hot and intense conditions. This will be a good lead into the qualifier in Tahiti.

You are very familiar with Tahiti, their national team, and the environment in which futsal is played. What do you see as the main challenges for the Futsal Whites in Papeete next year? Will it be the climate, the atmosphere inside the stadium, or something else? Do you think the experience of Tahiti 2013 (where New Zealand played a three match series) will prove to be invaluable?

For the players that do make the final squad, and who previously contested the three match series against Tahiti in 2013, it will prove an invaluable experience. The conditions afforded us were an eye opener for the players and this will help the new players in the team as they can learn from these players what to expect. We know it will not be an easy tournament and to qualify we must be at our very best if we are to progress to the World Cup. Knowing what to expect means we can concentrate on the things that matter and not worry about the things that don’t matter.

Who do you see as the main threats to the Futsal Whites in their quest to qualify for FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016? It seems that perhaps four or five teams can potentially win it?

Of course the Solomon Islands are still the team to beat, if they turn up at

Photo: OFC

their very best. With the help of Juliano Schmeling, who is now living in the Solomons, I expect them to be well prepared.

Tahiti with home ground advantage will be very confident and will want to emulate the beach soccer team’s success [runners up at FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015]. They will therefore have a very parochial crowd behind them and I expect the stadium will be packed to the rafters.

New Caledonia proved that they can achieve success as can be shown from the last OFC Invitational tournament. This will mean that they will come well prepared and that preparation means that they will be much better than they have been before as they will have much more belief in their ability to succeed.

Vanuatu is steadily improving under the guidance of Loius Dominique and will be confident they can cause a few upsets and if they can play to their potential they will surprise a few people.

Fiji always has a strong side but they have always been underprepared because the football clubs only release

their players three weeks prior to the tournament. This time around they will be focussing on futsal specific players and they have a much longer preparation period to work on combinations and tactics.

So I believe that whoever turns up and plays to the best of their ability will be the country that has the best chance.

On the domestic scene the national schools and federation tournaments are very popular and below that we have more and more competitions at local level. What is the key to harnessing the obvious talent you are seeing in your work at youth level? How can New Zealand Football ensure that these players can make the transition to international futsal in future years?

The youth coming through are now being taught the correct technique for futsal and this means that the standard at rep level tournaments has increased in this department. The players that are transitioning to this level are also getting the benefit of the National League players from each federation coaching them. As of lot of these National League players have had exposure to the tactical game that the Futsal Whites have been formulating then the flow on effect is proving effective. I know that the increase in numbers playing the game also means that more and more technically gifted players are being found in each of the federations. This naturally means that this raw talent is adding another dimension to the way the game is played.

Therefore, as I previously stated, two areas need to be addressed. These area talent identification programme for each Federation and a full scale federation league for the elite players to ply their trade in order to be given further representative opportunities.

I am excited about the next four year cycle (2017-2020) as the talented youth are the players of the future and the selection process will become much more difficult. Already I see the attitude towards professionalism of these players to become future Futsal Whites is far better than when I first took over the

national team. That alone means that the mental preparation will be far more advanced than in previous years.

Tell us about your recent trip to the USA with the Auckland Football Federation Women’s youth team? You must have been very proud of the team. Were you surprised at their success?

I was very fortunate to once again be in the right place at the right time. During a week of Federation work in Auckland, Marvin Eakins and I conducted a training session for the Auckland Federation 15 years girls team. Essentially most of this team were playing together as the Eastern Belles in a local competition and preparing for the Craig Foster Cup tournament in Brisbane. In that hour session I saw how talented these girls were and they picked things up very quickly.

The team travelled to Brisbane and came away with the winner’s trophy, along with an invitation to play at the World Championships. The coach of the team, Rhys Greensill, contacted me to see if I was available to help coach the team for the tournament. As it turned out the OFC qualifiers were meant to be at the same, time however these were postponed and therefore I was free. So I accepted the opportunity with relish.

From March until August whenever I travelled to Auckland I would get together with the team and we would have mini camps. These would be approximately once a month. The team also got together weekly with Rhys as they were also preparing for the NZF National Youth Championships. The girls were a pleasure to coach and improved with each visit.

At the World Championships in Orlando, Florida, the girls worked very hard and gelled exceptionally well. All players gave everything they had in every game and went through their pool games undefeated. The semi final was a real challenge as we came up against a good side from Canada. At the break we were down 0-2 but the team never gave up and produced a stunning 2nd half dominating the play and securing a courageous 3-2 victory with about two minutes left.

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Scott GIlligan observes the haka given in his honour by he Tahiti futsal team, following their 2nd placed finish at the 2008 OFC Futsal Championship in FIji.Photo: OFC

The final was against a very good team from Minnesota. The technical ability of this team was very good and in order to combat this I chose to play a tight man on man game. Unfortunately our girls fell back into a 2-2 pattern in defence in the first five minutes and this allowed the opposition too much space and we conceded three goals. After a time out we refocused and came to terms with the new defensive structure and made it very difficult for the opposition. We were winning the ball high in their half but just couldn’t convert our chances. Late in the half we conceded two goals on counter attack and went to the break 0-5 down.

The half time talk was very positive and all players agreed that if they could score five goals in a half - so could we. Their positivity and belief in themselves was a credit to Rhys and their parents. The second half showed that these girls could rise to the occasion and more than matched their opponents. We pressed them high and gave them little room to launch their rotations and took the game to them. The second half finished 3-3 and at the final whistle our girls rejoiced in the way they had fought back and were happy with the improvement in their overall performance.

It is a fantastic feeling when you are part of a special team that never says die and never knows the meaning of the word quit. These girls showed me how passionate they are for the sport and they all want to improve. They all know that even when you lose you can win and the improvements that this team showed throughout this journey showed that they are all winners.

Going back to FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 – in a very tight final,

in the end it was a bit of individual Brazilian magic from Neto that won the championship, in extra time. Would you agree that modern futsal, with its sophisticated defensive tactics, controlled ball possession and highly detailed set piece strategies, is evolving into a very structured game? Is there a danger that futsal at the highest level, is losing some if its spontaneity and becoming more of a game for purists, rather than a game that is capable of attracting new or more casual fans?

The game has certainly evolved and the less experienced countries are learning more about what suits their style of play to be able to be competitive with the more established countries. Naturally, defensive structure is more important for these countries as they need to learn how to stop the other teams from scoring. Once they have stopped them it is about how to retain possession while creating chances without turning over the ball cheaply. So yes, I would agree that the sport is definitely evolving into a very structured game. I don’t think the game is losing its appeal however, as watching two teams that are both of similar standard means that the coaches, and the players, now have to come up with new strategies in order to outthink their opponents. To be able to see what turns the game is exciting in itself.

After your time on the TSG at FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 you spoke of Brazil and Spain’s dominance at the top level since the 1990s, which can perhaps be attributed to the development programmes for young players and the professional leagues in their respective

countries. Is there anything you have seen in world futsal since that time, which suggests the dominance of these two countries can be broken in Colombia next year? Russia were able to beat Spain in UEFA Futsal Euro 2014 and under Roberto Menichelli, Italy have gone from strength to strength. Do you see these two teams as serious contenders next year and if so - why?

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get over to Europe much since I have taken on my role with the Futsal Whites, as I am mainly travelling to New Zealand these days. However I believe the likes of Russia and Italy are certainly closing the gap even further and do have a good opportunity to challenge for the title. Have they done enough to change the trend? This, I am not sure about. What I do see is that all countries are improving as the sport takes more of a foothold and this can only mean that the top two need to be on their toes. Brazil dominated for years knowing that they would always score more goals than their opponents. However Spain were able to devise a system of play that changed that, winning two World Cups in the process, and this meant that Brazil had to reinvent themselves. I have confidence that in time there will be a number of countries that will come to prominence and upset the applecart. This well could be in Colombia 2016.

23



“THE INCREASE IN NUMBERS PLAYING THE GAME ALSO MEANS THAT MORE AND MORE

TECHNICALLY GIFTED PLAYERS ARE BEING FOUND IN EACH OF THE FEDERATIONS”

FEDERATION ROUND-UP

NorthernFIFA World Cup U-20 2015 has come and gone and all Federations were involved in some exciting activities. The Northern Federation partnered up with ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development), AFF and Orange Group in setting up the ‘Fever Pitch’ futsal court by the wharf of the city centre. The Fever Pitch was a huge success with over 27,000 visits from people walking through the area. Better still, hundreds participated in playing futsal on the pitch, some for the very first time. Northern ran both an ‘Introduction to Coaching’ and an ‘Introduction to Refereeing’ course to help prepare the Fever Pitch team for all the activities and events on offer.

Activities included games with powerchair players, a game for physically impaired players, a university tournament, a club

night (offered to six of our local football clubs), games involving 35 primary schools and even our local Albany Junior High School Year 10s looking after and coaching the younger students from Monte Cecilia as part of their NCEA requirements. Over the weekends, we saw various ethnic tournaments that included African, Asian and South American weekends. Some may have seen the portable 40x20 metre futsal court, donated by the FIFA Local Organising Committee, travelling around the country during the World Cup. Northern Football had an opportunity at their futsal hub at Albany Junior High School, to set up the court in a massive open space, following the delay in the installation of a hockey turf project. Northern Football stepped in and mustered 15 of their keen Year 10 AJHS

students and spent a Friday setting up the court for both the school and Federation to use for the remainder of the year.

Northern are working closely with school teams and clubs to setup private programme sessions for identified age group teams while promoting the game, as the court is visible on the very busy Albany motorway.

A link to our time lapse and video of the portable futsal court being built at Albany Junior High School can be found here. Once again the NZF Futsal Roadshow came back to Massey University in Albany. The roadshow included various male and female age group tournaments for local clubs and schools combined together with a showcase mixed team game that included the Auckland-based

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D11d.



The NZF FUTSAL FUTSAL FESTIVAL is NZF’s programme that focusses on a one off event like a FIFA Futsal World Cup .

When using the NZF Futsal Futsal Festival logo please ensure that it features on a similar background colour to the version you are using . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo .

Never change the colour of the logo, distort or stretch it or put a transparent version of the logo over a complex background .

CMYK: C0 M0 Y0 K0


LOGO COLOURS


COLOURWAY

D . WHOLE OF FOOTBALL | D11d. NZF FUTSAL - FUTSAL FESTIVAL

D11b.



D . WHOLE OF FOOTBALL | D11b. NZF FUTSAL - FUTSAL ROADSHOW

The NZF FUTSAL - Futsal Roadshow is part of NZF Futsal division of WOF and is NZF Futsal’s travelling roadshow which promotes Futsal .

When using the Futsal Roadshow logos please ensure that it features on a similar background colour to the version you are using . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo .


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D11c.



D . WHOLE OF FOOTBALL | D11c. NZF FUTSAL - FUTSAL IN SCHOOLS

The NZF FUTSAL IN SCHOOLS is part of the NZF Futsal division of WOF and is NZF’s brand for all futsal related to schools .

When using the NZF Futsal in Schools logo please ensure that it features on a similar background colour to the version you are using . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo .


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E04.



E . LOGO LOCKUPS | E04. NZF - FEDERATION LOCKUPS

INDIVIDUAL FEDERATION LOCKUPS

The purpose of the NZF - FEDERATION LOCKUPS is to supply NZF’s Federations with branding that shows their close ties with NZF .

When using the lockup logos please ensure that it either features on a white (black keyline version) or black (white keyline version) background . Please ensure there is at least 5mm of space around the logo . Never change the colour of the logo, distort or stretch it or put a transparent version of the logo over a complex background .

COMBINED LOCKUPS (NZF USE ONLY)

Activities from the FIFA U20 WOrld Cup ‘Fever Pitch’ festival in June.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgvmvmB5TeQ&feature=youtu.be

Futsal Whites and Football Ferns. The amount of support by players and parents remaining behind in the evening for the game was overwhelming, and participants were pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to win their very own NZF Futsal ball, by scoring a penalty against either Football Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler, or Futsal Whites goalkeeper Elias Billeh. This year saw the first ever National University Futsal Championships, a competition in which Northern Futsal Development Manager, Aron Prosch had a major part to play, by assisting with organisation of the event and also arranging a friendly match between with AUT and University of New Caledonia at the AUT, North Shore campus where the staff and students at the facility were able to experience their first full court futsal experience. Felipe De Marchi Bernardi educated and introduced the love of futsal to AUT students while Futsal White legend Bakr Al-Saudi took the task of assisting the hosts, Massey University, Albany - preparing their team in a voluntary capacity.

The tournament has left behind a legacy of its own where AUT look to subsidise two teams that comprise their players at the tournament as a development pathway and some players have been invited to try out for the Northern national league squad.

Shaun McMiken, Massey University Football Club President was delighted with the progress made in the tournament.

“Although we didn’t get all the results we were hoping for, in terms of the bigger picture for our club, this event has been a huge success. There are quite distinctive groups within Massey University who play futsal - the Massey club, the Saudi and Iraqi players and others”, he said.

“The university championships with Bakr as a coach acted as a catalyst to bring together all these players and to breakdown some of the cultural, language and other barriers that existed. As a result there is now a greater solidarity and friendship among those players who participated which was not evident before to the University Championships. Futsal for the win!”

nff.org.nz

AucklandFun Futsal CentresWhere: Mt Wellington Tennis Club, 50 Dunkirk Rd, Pt EnglandWhen: Sunday morning (weekly)Starts: Term 4, 2015Time: Sunday 9.00am – 10.20am Who: 5 – 10 year oldsCost: $35 for 10 weeks

Where: Avondale College Sports Gymnasium, Rosebank Road, Avondale When: Sunday afternoon (weekly) Starts: Term 4, 2015Who: Under-7s, Under-9s, Under-12s Cost: $65 for 8 weeks. $10 per casual visit. Ask about our family rates! Contact: Bobby Hart 021 0291 2018 or Marvin Eakins 021 933 953

Futsal LeaguesEast City FutsalJunior, Youth and Senior LeaguesFor more information please contact:(09) 579 [email protected]

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Aron Prosch interviewed as the FIFA U-20 legacy portable futsal court finds a temporary home at the Albany Junior High School futsal hub.

Northern organised a pre-tournament friendly match for AUT and University of New Caledonia ahead of the NZF University Futsal Championships in August.

nff.org.nz

Upcoming leagues:Premiers Mondays commencing 21 September 2015 6:45 - 9:45 pm10th & 11th Grade Tuesdays commencing 27 October 2015 4:45 - 6:15 pm12th & 13th Grade Tuesdays commencing 27 October 2015 4:45 - 6:15 pmYouth 14th – 17th Grade Sundays commencing 13 September 2015 4:30 - 7:00 pmSenior B Sundays commencing 13 September 2015 7:00 - 10:00 pmSenior B Wednesdays commencing 23 September 2015 6:15 - 10:00 pm

Senior LeagueWhere: Howick Leisure CentreWhen: Sunday evening (weekly), 7pm to 9pmStarts: October 11th, 2015

University of Auckland – Men’s LeagueWhen: Friday nightsTime: 6.30pm – 9.30pmWhere: University of Auckland, City Campus Recreation Centre

Mixed LeagueWhere: University of Auckland, Epsom Campus Gymnasium When: Sunday nightsStarts: Term 4, 2015Time: 5.30pm – 7.30pm

South Auckland Junior/Youth/Senior Futsal Leagues Starts: Term 4

College League – Boys, GirlsWhen: Friday afternoonsStarts: Term 4, 2015Time: 4.00pm – 6.00pmWhere: Auckland Netball Centre Cost: $200 per team For more information or to register your teams contact: Marvin Eakins 021 933 953

Intermediate League - MixedWhen: Friday afternoonsStarts: Term 4, 2015Time: 4.00pm – 6.00pmWhere: Auckland Netball Centre Cost: $200 per teamFor more information or to register your teams contact: Marvin Eakins 021 933 953

Futsal Development ProgrammeFutsal specific training programme for youth boys and girls looking to focus on developing their Futsal knowledge and ability.

Junior/Youth/SeniorFor information regarding leagues, coach education and refereeing for all ages or about futsal in general please contact AFF Futsal Development Officer Marvin Eakins on 021 933 953 E: [email protected]: [email protected]

www.aucklandfootball.org.nz

WaiBOPWomen’s FutsalWomen’s futsal is taking off, with the launch of the first WaiBOP Women’s Championships with 10 teams competing in an evening packed with futsal. From these players, a team will be selected to attend the National Women’s Championships in Wellington in September. With the success of this tournament, it will now become a quarterly event on the WaiBOP futsal calendar and will also be expanded to include teams from the Bay of Plenty. University of FutsalThe first National University Futsal Championships were held on 28th – 30th August in Auckland. University of Waikato sent representative team in both the Men’s and Woman’s categories. The university have now also affiliated their indoor leagues to futsal, leading to an increase in futsal participation at the university with numerous other activities to engage students (e.g. give it a go days, coaching courses, etc).

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Teams from the newly launched 10 team WaiBOP women’s futsal league.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

www.aucklandfootball.org.nz

In September we hosted one of our major regional events of the year, the NZF Futsal Roadshow. This year’s roadshow took place at the ASB Arena in Tauranga on with a focus of ‘Futsal for all’, giving opportunities for all ages of males and female to play and learn about the game, and watch the game at the main event - Futsal Whites v WaiBOP on the Saturday evening. Schools and CollegesIn Term 3 a lot of time has been spent by the futsal department in schools and colleges delivering a range of programmes to continue to drive participation and improve quality in the junior and youth age groups. Preparing players ready for the futsal season in Term 4 is a priority also. Futsal SeasonWith the futsal season just around the corner in Terms 4 and 1, leagues and programmes are now available to register for in all WaiBOP regions. For information or to register contact [email protected]

E: [email protected]

CentralOver the past few months the dedicated Futsal Development team from Central Football have been working tirelessly in the delivery of the Futsal in Schools, NCEA College Programme, and recreational products in schools. This delivery has boosted the profile of futsal in the school communities throughout the Central Federation. These products are the backbone of all futsal activities in the federation and allow us to develop our more elite level pathways. One of these pathways is the NZF Junior and Youth Futsal Championships held in Wellington. This was a very successful tournament for the competing age groups from Central Football with numerous teams

making semi-finals and finals. This event is a great development tool for elite age group futsal players to experience the best competition in New Zealand. The players had the added value of watching the Futsal Whites in action vs Australia, Malaysia and Vanuatu. These high level futsal internationals were a great way to promote the continued involvement for the age group players in the game.

The regional futsal leagues are the next exciting things on the horizon for Central Football. Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki are the three regions within the federation that will be offering futsal competitions. All regions combined we are estimating close to 180 teams across the junior youth, and senior sectors. This growth is a testament to our development team, administrators and hardworking volunteers who are constantly looking after the best interests of futsal in the Central Federation. These competitions are continuing to develop with the competitive leagues hotly contested which serves as great experience for our top male and female players when it comes to the senior national representative teams.

The Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay national

league men’s teams are both well under way with their preparation for the national league competition. With both teams boasting a side full of the best players in the federation it will once again prove to be an exciting and hard fought league. Central-Hawke’s Bay has recruited the expertise of Chris Greatholder to lead the team this season. Chris will surely provide a new and exciting approach to this team that is full of young talent. Central-Manawatu are looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign in 2014 and are looking forward to proving their doubters wrong. If their current trainings are anything to go by the squad will pose a threat to any team in the league.

Finally Central Football would like to wish the Central Womens futsal team all the best in the upcoming National Championship. These women have been pushing for the development of women’s futsal and this national event is definitely one pathway that helps this become a reality. The team is looking forward to competing against the rest of the country with aspirations of taking home the title.

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All White Clayton Lewis with students of Raroa Intermediate

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CapitalIt has been a busy few months in the capital, with the National Youth Championships, Trans Tasman Cup and Commonwealth played at the “Home of Futsal” in Kilbirnie.

Raroa Intermediate students were lucky enough to have All White and former St

Patrick’s College futsal star Clayton Lewis come down and help Coach Tom Randles with their ‘Futsal in Schools’ session at the ASB Centre in July.

Meanwhile Capital has helped run many tournaments across the various school zones this year, with children at the Southern Hutt Schools Futsal tournament in June having a blast!

Students at Tawa College also enjoyed the small-sided game component to their Futsal coach education session in July. To cap it off Wellington College schoolboy Luc Saker made his Futsal Whites debut and bagged his first couple of International goals during the Commonwealth Cup in July.

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www.capitalfootball.org.nz

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Mainland FutsalJunior and Youth Champs 2015We ended Term 2 and started Term 3 with the Youth Championships in Wellington and the 2015 edition proved hugely successful for Mainland. As in previous years, we sent nine teams from the federation to compete with six from Christchurch and three from Nelson (seven boys and two girls). Of the five competitive divisions we won the 15s Girls, 14s Boys and 16s Boys with our Nelson 12s Boys also finishing first in their age group.

There were a number of individual awards as well including:Golden Glove: Blair Currie (15s Girls), Scott Morris (14s Boys) and Callum Cameron (16s boys)Golden Boot: Britneylee Nicholson (15s Girls) and Ben Lapslie (16s Boys)

Well done to all the teams who competed and a big congratulations to both our team champions and individual awards winners!

Futsal Holiday ProgrammeWe held our Futsal Holiday Programme over both weeks for the first time in the July holidays. The programme was held at Cowles Stadium for two days in the first week and three days in the second week of with around 250 kids attending across the five days, making it our most successful programme thus far. We had three FDOs delivering again as well as a number of our men’s national league players and all the kids looked like they had a really good time. We hope to see more of them filtering into our leagues and/or back in October for our next programme.

Mainland NZF Futsal RoadshowThere were a number different events held over 3 days in August (21st -23rd) with the big attractions being the Futsal Whites

versus Mainland mens two games series. Both games attracted a huge audience with both CPIT and Bishopdale filled on their respective days. Game one saw Mainland come away with a close 3-2 win but game two saw the Futsal Whites step it up a gear wining 4-0. It was great to see the number of people who attended and enjoyed the games.

Outside of the games we also ran a community consultation meeting/presentation, junior and youth workshops,

a referee workshop, a NZF Futsal Level 1 Coaching Course and a women’s full court tournament. The interest generated from the roadshow has been hugely beneficial and we hope to kick on from here and get more people/players involved in the sport.

National League Mens teamFollowing the our successful campaign in 2014, Mainland will continue with the same coaching team this year with Ronan Naicker (Coach) and Martin Mitchell (manager).

Futsal SouthFutsal South has now made it through the winter months and is now preparing for another big summer of futsal.

Over the last eight months the following are some highlights:• Up to September this year we have had

444 teams participate in our Dunedin competitions across all ages.

• Our KiwiSport coaching programmes in schools has just reached 4000 children so far for the year.

• Our calendar for the rest of the year is nearly full and that should keep all coaching staff busy until the end of the school year.

• This year we had our Under 16 and 19 futsal teams participate in the National Futsal Age Group Championships in Wellington in June. The under 16’s finished 3rd and the Under 19’s finished 5th. Overall a creditable results for both teams and coaching staff.

• The NCEA programme with five high

schools continues to work towards student development and well earn credits.

• In the past month the University of Otago ran a three day coaching and teaching programme for 18 year 3-4 PE students and used futsal as its platform.

• 23 people have registered and are processing their way through the NZF Online Level 1 Futsal Referee Course.

• 2016 NZ Masters Games registrations are now open with futsal being played on the weekend of 6th & 7th of February.

September sees the beginning of a new season of futsal.

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The boys have commenced training and are hope to be bettered prepared this year ahead of Series One.

College ProgramsThroughout the year, our Futsal Development Officers have been doing a lot of work in high schools/colleges but Term 3 saw us deliver our first NCEA programmes into schools. Burnside High School and Marian College are the first of the Christchurch Schools to take on the programme, with Marian currently completing their programme.

CompetitionsWe had 56 teams competing in Term 3 with the Wednesday competitions and Sunday full court competition becoming more and more popular. As a result we’ve had between three and four different venues running on the same day to keep up with the demand, and were fortunate enough to secure a new venue, Middleton Grange High School, with two gyms to support the demand.

Again our focus will be in growing the junior base in Term 4 and we hope to have a women’s only full-court league up and running. Our schools competitions also begin again, which is going to keep us really busy.

National league team preparations are well under way for Futsal South as we contest the NZF Futsal National League in late October, through to December.

The senior year 11-13 high schools teams begin their six week competition, which will finish well before their exams begin. 42 teams will take part in this competition.

Our Monday night adult competition will have about 30 teams to play out a 12 week competition which finishes just before Christmas.

The Primary school, Intermediate and Yr 9-10 High schools will have to wait until there competition begins in term 4 October.

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INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT ANOTHER STEP IN PATHWAY

NATIONAL UNIVERSITYFutsal Championships 2015

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The rise of futsal on the New Zealand sporting landscape continued in late August with the first annual NZF National University Futsal Championships at Massey University, Albany.

Five teams from New Zealand tertiary institutions, along with with eventual winners University of New Caledonia, competed in the Men’s Championship, while three took part in the Women’s Championship that was won by AUT.

NZF Futsal Development Manager Dave Payne was delighted with the inaugural championships , which will play a vital role in continuing the pathway from the college futsal programme.

“With the establishment of futsal in many of our tertiary institutions, and the NZ University Futsal Championships, the young people who have built the successful college programme have the chance to grow their passion and expertise within the tertiary scene,” Payne said.

Payne says a further step in the pathway – international university futsal – will be added later.

“In establishing this tournament, we have one eye on the future, in that we will look to link with FISU, the world international governing body for university sports.The bi-annual World University Futsal Championships are a significant event on FISU’s calendar, and are very much a target for us, when we are ready to go to that level.”

The men’s tournament was a hotly contested affair, with four teams winning three of their five games on their way to sealing a semi-final spot. In the final, New Caledonia proved too strong for the University of Auckland side lead by Futsal White goal machine Dylan Manickum, winning 6-3.

Meanwhile AUT edged University of Auckland in the round robin women’s event to secure the honours.

TABLES/RESULTS/AWARDS

MEN’S P W D L F A GD PTSAuckland 5 3 1 1 34 24 10 10New Caledonia 5 3 1 1 25 16 9 10Waikato 5 3 0 2 28 23 5 9Victoria 5 3 0 2 26 26 0 9Massey (Albany) 5 1 0 4 17 21 -4 3AUT 5 1 0 4 17 37 -20 3

PLAYOFFMassey 2 AUT 8

SEMI FINALSAuckland 5 Victoria 4New Caledona 4 Waikato 2

FINALAuckland 3 New Caledonia 6

AWARDS MVP Saravanu Lucas [University of New Caledonia]Golden Boot Dylan Manickum - 11 goals (University of Auckland]Golden Glove Mohamed Sabri - [University of Auckland]

WOMEN’S P W D L F A GD PTSAUT 4 3 1 0 32 19 13 10Auckland 4 2 1 1 32 25 7 7

Waikato 4 0 0 4 18 38 -20 0

AWARDSMVP Hannah Carlsen - AUTGolden Glove Rivalina Fuimano - AUTGolden Boot Maxine Cooper - 9 goals - University of Auckland


Main photograh: Port Vila Futsal Premier League at Ex-FOL Stadium in 2014. [1], [2] Korman Stadium, OFC’s and Vanuatu’s ‘home of futsal’ in the 1990s, and stadium of the 1996 and 1999 OFC Futsal Championships. Korman was declared closed following structural damage after a devastating earthquake in 2009, however the court was used extensively for futsal [3] right up until its demolition in early 2015.

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If any of the words below strike a chord with you, if you believe in the power of sport to move, to inspire, to unite. Then please visit and see how you can help.

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/supportvanuatuthroughfutsal

- Matt Fejos 2015

When did you first get involved with futsal?I first got involved with futsal back in 2000. I started to play outdoor in 1996, and then in 2000 I decided to switch. There was no league back then, we just played in special competitions. Then, in 2001 the Port Vila leagues started.

How did your career develop as a player?Very fast. I came from a football background. First I started rugby in school, and futsal with my friends for fun. Then I realised I was better at futsal and more interested. So I quit playing rugby and started to concentrate on futsal.

I was lucky enough to visit Vanuatu in May, for my uncle’s wedding. I became a real fan of the national futsal team in 2013. As part of the OFC Technical Study Group, they were assigned as my team to technically assess. It was one my most read blog posts, so this is quite a sequel to be able to visit Vanuatu and get to know their people. An opportunity I never thought I would get, and one I will never forget.

I sat down with Louis Dominique, the coach of the national team, to see where the team was and if they still believed in the dream. I was amazed at the humility, courage and sacrifice of a man who lives to lead in his community. They were fresh into the recovery after the devasting and fatal Cyclone Pam. And still are.

Is that quite reflective of Vanuatu as a whole? Moving towards football and futsal, are they getting more popular than they used to be?Yes, football and futsal are getting more popular in Vanuatu. Football is the most popular sport in Vanuatu.

Where did you go as a player?In 2001 Port Vila League and in 2003 selected for Port Vila in National Games, until

FUTSAL IN VANUATULOUIS DOMINIQUE INTERVIEW

BY MATT FEJOS

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Typical futsal courts in Vanuatu - [1] Mele Beach, near Port Vila, Efate and [2] Luganville, Santo. [3] Concorde FC, a team in the Luganville U15 futsal league.

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2004, when I was selected for the national team. That was the first time I played for the national team, the Oceania qualifying round in Canberra, Australia, when Australia was still with Oceania.

Was that the first national team?No that was the third or fourth maybe. VFF took part in earlier Oceania qualifying rounds in 1992, 1996 and 1999. In those times, the players were picked from outdoor [football] to represent Vanuatu Futsal. 2004 was the first team that came up from the futsal leagues.

And how has that futsal pathway developed - is it quite separate now?Yes. Now players are selected from all the different futsal leagues around the country and especially the national competitions. Sometimes, there are a few opportunities we give to some good players from outdoor football - one or two players that could fit in.

“FUTSAL IS STARTING TO GROW AND IT NEEDS SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO HAS EXPERIENCE, WHO HAS BEEN A PLAYER FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM,

TO DO SOMETHING TO DEVELOP THE GAME INTO THE FUTURE”LOUIS DOMINIQUE

How was the transition from player to coach? Was it natural as a senior member, or did you plan to?Well, I planned to coach. But my appointment was a bit earlier than I thought it would be, because I was just playing. The last time in 2011, I was thinking of playing for three or four more years then suddenly I got called by VFF and futsal management and they said I should take responsibility and work as a futsal development officer and also be in charge of the new national team. So for myself, being coach, the transition was not hard, but I didn’t expect it that soon.

So in some ways, have you sacrificed the end of your playing career?Yes, I had to sacrifice that. But I look at it as a challenge. Because I know futsal is starting to grow and it needs someone like me who has experience, who has been a player for the national team, to do something to develop the game into the future.

How is the satisfaction as a coach different - do you sometimes wish you could just go and play? Is it a different feeling coaching than playing?Sometimes I miss playing. But I have to stop playing. I also can’t play in the league, even just in a team or in a club. Its really hard, because I am the coach and I need to stay on the outside and watch others play and do analysis and assessments.

Do you find any opportunities to play for fun anywhere?I play eleven a side football - for a club, just to play. I enjoy it!

In your role for VFF, in futsal development, what are the main objectives and projects you are working on?As futsal is starting to grow slowly, my aim is to start all the other islands. What I’m trying to do right now is create leagues for all the other islands and provinces. The main objective now is to have youth and kids programmes in the leagues. It is much

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[1] Ex-FOL Stadium in Port Vila. Home of Vanuatu’s longest running league, the Port Vila Futsal League. The stadium has been unusable since Cyclone Pam. [2] Port Vila Futsal league games are now played at the outdoor hockey turf at Won Smol Bag, home of the Shefa Futsal League. [3] Matt Fejos, back row, extreme right, with members of Vanuatu national team following a training session in July.

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Louis Dominique

the national team preparation, even though we don’t have the means to prepare, we are still determined to have a good preparation for the qualifiers next year. And that is why we participated in the Commonwealth Cup with Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand as the preparation. Even though we have that challenge, we still have the Colombia dream.

How hard, how important is it when today we trained at the venue and there is people queuing for food. It is hard to say futsal is more important than food. But do you think the hope that it can bring for the players especially, do you think its important to the recovery after Cyclone Pam to have something to hope and to strive for?Yes, it would be very good. Some of them, even though they don’t have food at home, and they don’t even have anything, they have lost everything. But they still want to train, to represent their country. To give them hope, to provide them with something to help would be very helpful and increase the determination and help with the hope that we have to qualify for the World Cup.

What do the players need the most in trying to fulfill that dream and going into world cup qualifying?Training time and gear. Slowly we have crops coming back, there’s not really a problem with food now. But the main thing is the time for training, the proper equipment and materials. That’s what we need.

So many of the players don’t work and instead they ‘live off the land’?Yes. What they get from the land is for sole

easier to run programmes for kids, especially futsal, if you do it with leagues. The biggest challenge here is the venues and facilities.

How is the vision with football clubs? Is it the vision that a football club will enter teams?Yes, the vision is that football clubs have to have a youth futsal team. Espcially U15, which is the priority age group that we are working on. From there we can include U12s. Women’s teams are a priority as well.

This terrible cyclone (Pam), how has it affected life in general in Vanuatu, and the work of developing futsal here?Yes its affected a lot of lives. Many people have lost so many things. Also the futsal community have lost their only venue where they used to play and train for the national team. It has really slowed down the development of futsal in Vanuatu, and the elite activities.

Do you think it can make Ni-Vans stronger, because its such a big obstacle to overcome?Yes, Ni-Vans always love football, and nothing will stop a Ni-Van from playing football. Even though there is nowhere to play we can still see kids and everyone still trying to find a little space to have a kick around. It won’t take long for people to start enjoying football and futsal again in Vanuatu. Even life.

What can futsal and the dream of qualifying for a world cup mean for the players and the country too.Yes, it would mean a lot. That’s the biggest challenge that we have gone through. For

domestic use, just for the family. They don’t make money out of it. Its hard for them to find money for transport to get to training, that’s one of the main issues. Today you have seen nine boys [at the first training post Pam] some of them could have come if they had money for the bus fare. I know them very well. All of the others haven’t turned up just because they live far from here. Otherwise they would have come. Just money for the bus to go to training. Transport and time for training, that’s the main thing, to achieve the dream.

How far away are crops from getting back to normal?Now markets are selling vegetables and everybody has vegetables again. But some other crops needed longer.But otherwise I don’t see food as a problem [anymore]. With a little bit more food it will be good for the boys and the training. At least they come to training, but they don‘t know if they have something to eat when they go back. Some of them, you can see, they just come, smile, play, enjoy. But they don’t have anything to eat at home. All they have is rice. Because the love of football brings them together. So they come to train, but if you go home you can see the food is not enough.

Thanks for the chat and for having me here. As I said - I watched the team play two years ago and I became a fan, liked the way that they played, the smile and the joy, that they play for. I hope I can keep involved and watch from a distance, and I wish you all the best for the campaign.Thank you.

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[1] Louis Dominique, in action for the Vanuatu national team against Tuvalu at the OFC Futsal Championship in Suva in 2008. [2] Matt Fejos with young futsal fans in Port Vila. [3] Brazilian Futsal coach Juliano Schmeling conducts a training session with members of Vanuatu national team as part of an OFC Futsal coaching course in Port Vila in 2014.

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THE POWER OF FIVE #14 September 2015