Capital Football - mission is to spread the game...in Futsal as well.

Capital Football have a clear mission to spread the game, the joy of the game.

So when the recent Futsal teams were announced for the National Championships to be played in Canberra there were some interesting mutterings from around the local futsal scene.

Previously Capital Football has run the Cobras and Colts, two teams in all divisions. Makes sense as the games are run in Canberra, it gives more boys and girls a chance, maybe their only chance to play Rep football.

Of course the Colts is the second team, always weaker I suspect, sometimes much. But I never heard a complaint from a player or parent about this opportunity, some say gift, to get a chance to compete in Rep land.

Have you seen how proud the Colts players are in their Rep gear in Futsal National Championships week?

So when this years squads have been announced - all sorts of holes and inconsistencies have appeared in Boys U16, just one team, in girls 11 and 12 just one team. There are probably others.

And in many age groups we have two teams - so how does that work?

Budgetary contraints and a lack of quality in team selections have been a couple of rumoured reasons.

Hard to believe that even when Coaches have offered to Coach for free as they have I'm told in the U16 age group, and with players paying to compete as they do, that budgetary constraints are a real issue.

Also a lack of quality has been rumoured to be a reason. This is valid - but no-one who loves the game, players or parents will really see this as a valid reason.

If Capital Football are serious about their mission to spread the love of football, amongst our young people some serious thought needs to be given to next years selection process.

A thought:

If there is one team in the any age group - say 9 players - how without an aspiring group of Colts, if one or two players drop out of Cobras in the next season, do we get players of a futsal standard to start anywhere near the previous squad.

Or indeed how is it possible to break into next seasons team against a squad who have been trained and played Nationals, when all you had the chance to do is play North or South Canberra Futsal?

Seems to me there is something much much more important than ensuring our Colts teams are "quality" and it's the joy of giving a player a chance, perhaps their only chance to play Rep football and get that experience.

What is the point of having the National Champs in Canberra, making it cheaper and more accessible than if it were elsewhere for our kids.

Tell a kid in U16s boys you can't play because although we have volunteer Futsal Coach and you all pay, Capital Football say either our budget has run out, or your Colts side is crap.

Seems to me the reason we should be running football at the young age is for the kids - once we put quality over participation we've lost the real reason kids play football.

Note: My beautiful daughter missed out on Futsal U12s - because there is no second team. She couldn't careless, she's off to Music Camp...but when I heard similar issues occured in other age groups seems to me the thoughts of those trialling at Futsal and from the feedback I've had - the issue of boys and girls participation should be raised.

How do you build a better core group of elite Futsal players? By just having one team per age group? Doesn't gel with my community football values.

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Canberra boys back in the big time in NSW - finally!

Great news for Canberra's boys - they finally have somewhere to test their skills outside of the confines of the local (tiny) boundary.

And it's one of our newest clubs, Boomerangs FC leading the way.

With Canberra FC back in the NSW Cup - okay it's only a limited number of games but it's a start - and now the Boomerangs in the TOP NSW Futsal league finally, finally our boys post-15 might get some opportunities worthy of their developing talents.

And better still this can and will lead to our players lifting their game, with Representative and National Honours bound to come from these players.

Who knows we may see an ACT Futsal boy heading off to play professionally one day.

There's still a lot of work to do in Canberra Boys football - and a Canberra A-League Youth team is critical to our boys opportunities post-15.

Currently the best boys who don't get into ACTAS would be well-advised to follow the Futsal path.

But who knows with Boomerang visionary Eddie Senatore now on the Capital Football Board it may not be too long before we see some changes and impetus in boys outdoor opportunities boys post-15. There hangs a big questions mark over Capital Football's leadership in this area in previous years - and I'm not for a minute suggesting they should run the team - although they seem to be happy to do this for Canberra United. Long-term both Canberra United and any Youth team should be independent of Capital Football. Surely this makes sense!

Anyway times are a changing and with key changes in NSW under direction from the FFA it may not be too long before we have reason for all our Boy's development and HPP programs - currently apart from a bit of fun and money earning I'm not sure of the value the boys get.

Where can they go post 15?

Football Federation Australia has endorsed the F-League and recognize the benefits for Futsal players playing all year round.

The F-League will be played on an International sized court and game will consist of twenty-five minute halves.

This competition is expected to become the development pathway for Futsal players to progress to state and national team honors in NSW.

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Ali Cook on fire in Futsal Nationals.

Watched the ACT Under 12 girls in their battle with NSW Thunder, last years winners, last nigt.
3-3 and a fantastic game of Futsal at the National Championships in Canberra.

Two absolute thunderbolts from ACT star Ali Cook brought the house down; mind you the NSW keeper was unbelievable throughout.

Both teams played wonderful Futsal.

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Futsal: Massive skill development coming to Canberra

So FFA and Australia love Small Sided Games with the ball rolled out from the back.

Well what about Futsal. In Canberra 98% of Futsal teams throw or welly the ball down the field from age 6-16. Ever see a keeper roll the ball out, every time, in Futsal in Canberra?

But now there is hope.

Boomerangs FS (ACT) are being promoted by the Australian Sports Commission to roll out the after school program for futsal - 6 to 10 year olds starting in term 3. We have 5 schools on board, no throwing just kicking.

After school is the way to go, most schools have halls now thanks to Rudd, basic drills for 15 minutes, let them play for 30 minutes, mum or dad pick them up 430 - three days a week for one term -

In the ACT, Boomerangs players 15 and over will do the coaching with some adult supervision. Our reason - better health, better social skills development (for our coaches as well as the kids) and of course a feeder into the under 12 boomerangs teams for 10 years and over.

I reckon with this program 3 times a week the standard of futsal and football skills for our kids will improve at a greater rate than we've ever seen before, in greater numbers.

Wow, will be very interesting to see where this leads our players.

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Nearpost Local: Futsal Focus

Nearpost Local Download



Peter Funnell writes:
In this program we have a very close look at the ACT participation in the FFA’s Futsal Nationals......


just concluded here in the ACT. Capital Football did a terrific job organising the Nationals. How did we do, how can we get better and what are the pressures around developing Futsal in the ACT. And why are some of our very best football players being held back or electing not to represent the ACT at age at Nationals? And why did the Canberra Times give so little press coverage to the Nationals?
Just so that you have this in perspective, our Womens Youth Team won their final and are National champions. This is hotly contested group and women’s football and futsal is making terrific progress in the Act – some say better than the boys / mens! These are the ACT teams that campaigned their way through many round games to get a place in the Futsal Natinoals finals at the AIS last Friday;

U11 Girls Cobras
U15 Girls Cobras
Youth Womens Cobras
Open Womens Cobras
U16 Boys Cobras
Youth Mens Cobras
Open Mens Cobras

This is a sensational result. We pucnh above our division in Futsal and the competition is getting tougher each year.
And what about that terrific little Solomon Islands team – how good were these lads?
Futsal is growing fast and we need a good commercial sports model to allow it to grow. I just can’t help thinking about Viking Futsal – go back and have a listen to that interview, because so much of it makes so much sense.

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Canberra Futsal goes to NSW

Meet Boomerang FC.

And well done Eddie Senatore and Kristian Collins for doing something that no-one else in Canberra football have been able to do.

Futsal teams under new club Boomerang FC from 12 boys and girls to Premiers will play in NSW Premier Futsal league. The implications for Canberra are awesome if you understand the size of the game in Asia and Worldwide, for now read on. But sshh seems it's a secret!! From Peter Funnel

Boomerangs F.S a new initiative in Futsal in the ACT

There is a new Futsal club in the ACT – Boomerangs F.S. The club has been set up by Eddie Senatore and Kristain Collins to address a glaring deficiency in the development of Futsal players in the ACT – the development of players who wish to play Futsal to a higher standard than is on offer in our domestic competition.

The Boomerangs were created to achieve this aim. As they say, everyone wins.

The initiative is fully supported by Capital Football and on one important condition – the Boomerangs must support ACT Futsal.

The solution is devastatingly simple and achievable – the Boomerangs have gained entry to the Football NSW Super League Competition for the 2009/10 season.

We now have terrific pathway for our better and best Futsal players to participate in competitions of a much higher standard than the ACT competition. What a coup!

What a brilliant and elegant solution. It is a solution that takes nothing away from the ACT competition – quiet the opposite. To be eligible to play for the Boomerangs you have to be playing in the ACT competition.

So there we have it. Our better or best Futsal players will continue to play for their ACT teams and be simultaneously developed for higher levels of competition (particularly the Nationals) by direct participation in higher standard of competition through the Boomerangs.

That’s how it should work – in football and futsal! We are leveraging off something that already exists in the game, not creating new structures or tearing our limited playing strength to pieces.

We can all learn a lot from this initiative. It shows us how things might be done in the future in football in the ACT, and most particularly in the “talented” development regime, as we implement a new curriculum from the FFA, which will demand new and innovative thinking for it to be successfully implemented in the ACT.

In times of change and necessity it is encouraging to see Capital Football construct a new way of doing business – enabling the development of Football and Futsal. A good idea can come from anywhere.

As General Patton was said to fond of saying – “If everyone is thinking the same, then no one is thinking”. Correct. Or as my old football coach said too often for confort – “if you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” Correct again!

Good thing Eddie Senatore thinks outside the box, has an eye for a good option and the energy to get things going. Better still that Capital Football grasped the idea and the opportunity.

Empowering other sections of our football and futsal community (with appropriate conditions and controls to Capital Football) to undertake actions on our collective behalf is a smart way to do business in a small community like the ACT.

Capital Football simply can’t do it all itself and will only fall victim to itself if tries to do so. This approach assists Capital Football concentrate on it’s core business and be a leader and lead organisation, rather than a Club.

Did we construct a new “academy”, have another “review”, hamstring it with unnecessary administrative bureaucracy, subject it to selfish personal agendas and mischievous football nonsense - not a bit of it. That’s not to say there may not have been some hard talking and debate – fair enough if it happened.

Importantly, a smart, motivated football / futsal coach got an idea in his head about how he could make our teams more competitive at the Futsal Nationals, after having coached teams that fell to more robust NSW teams.

I am not sure of the Boomerang’s administrative detail, training venues or costs at this stage, but the detail will follow. These are areas where Capital Football can provide professional assistance and I hope they do if it is needed.

We have a robust and increasingly popular Futsal competition in summer across the age groups. Capital Football fields many players of all ages and gender in thanks to the selfless efforts of so many hard working volunteers. This will make them happy.

The Boomerangs will brake new and important ground on behalf of Futsal in the ACT and Capital Football are to be congratulated for the foresight and flexibility. Now to make it work.

The following is the text of an email notice sent out by Capital Football to futsal players / parents:

Dear Player,

Boomerangs F.S. has been admitted to play in the Football NSW Super League Competition for the 2009/10 season. Canberra’s inaugural Futsal club Boomerangs F.S. is calling for expressions of interest from players wishing to participate in Super League competition. This fantastic Boomerangs F.S. initiative will be offered to 10 players for each age category below.

The Age Groups offered for this competition are as follows:
12 Boys 12 Girls (born 1997 or before)
14 Boys 14 Girls (born 1996/95)
16 Boys 16 Girls (born 1994/93)
Youth Men (born 1990/91/92)
Open Men Open Womens (all age)

The Competition will run over 16-17 weeks starting in September and concluding in early February 2010. Players will compete in 14 matches against NSW based clubs, 7 of these will be based at home in Canberra and 7 away matches in Sydney.

Please note this does not replace the local South & North Canberra Futsal, or Capital Football run competitions, players will have to participate locally in Canberra before being considered for a position in a Super League Boomerangs F.S. team.

This is a wonderful opportunity to develop and improve skills in highly competitive matches against seasoned Futsal clubs.

Please respond to this letter by email at the following address boomerangsfs@hotmail.com. Expressions of interests close 12th June 2009.

We sincerely hope you take on this challenge and strongly consider this wonderful opportunity to test yourself against the best Futsal players that NSW has to offer.


Yours sincerely,



Kristian Collins Eddie Senatore

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Futsal Comp in Canberra...one day?

AFC Futsal Champs will be held in Iran this year.

NSW Thunder will represent Australia this year having defeated Canberra in the final.

Given the strength of ACT Futsal it wouldn't be hard to see Canberra in the AFC Final...and this tournament held in Canberra.

With the TV viewing figures for Futsal across Asia this is a tournament that could make money.....quickly.

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Don't suppose Canberra can play!

But what about Queanbeyan? That would test the bureaucrats in NSW...I mean Sydney.
Football NSW Futsal Department are seeking Expressions of Interest from Clubs who wish to participate in the 2008/09 Football NSW Futsal Premier/Super Leagues.

The Competition will be held on Saturday afternoon and nights commencing September 08 until completion in February 09. Clubs will be required to field teams in the following age categories:

12 Yr Boys
14 Yr Boys
16 Yr Boys
Youth (19 Years) Men
Open Men
13 Yr Girls
16 Yr Girls
Open Women
For further information please contact Football NSW Futsal Department on

(02) 814 4464 or Email futsal@soccernsw.com.au

Applications close Monday June 16th 2008

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Canberrans in Futsalroo squad.

With the AFC Futsal tournament coming up in May in Bangkok, Aussie Coach Scott Gilligan called the squad in for training on the weekend.

Canberrans Angelo Kostantinou and Trent Flanigan are in the squad. Matt Whyte is also, although couldn't train this weekend due to injury. Danny Macor has retired from International Futsal.

You can hear a full interview with Futsalroo Coach Scott Gilligan on the Nearpost Radio tonight 6:30pm (if you are in Canberra, or check your local Community station,) with the plans for the Futsalroos over the coming months and why he's off to Tahiti! Poddie available here tomorrow.

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$3 million dollar man kills off Australia.

Futsal's record transfer, the $3 million Brazilian Falcao, ensured the end of the road for the amateur Futsalroo stars from Australia in Malaysia last night.

Aussie boys went down 7-0 no disgrace there, and so ended their wonderful KL World 5 tournament.

Report

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Australia to take on Brazil in World 5's tonight.

You don't realise how big the game is until you travel outside of Australia.

Speaking from the team hotel in Kuala Lumpur prior to the semi-final with Brazil on Saturday evening, Danny Macor, the Belconnen United outdoor striker, was in reflective mood.




Danny Macor enjoying International Futsal

Fresh from winning the National Futsal Championships with the ACT Cobras Danny Macor and Trent Flanigan were whisked away to Malaysia to represent Australia in the KL World 5’s.

The KL World 5's is shown across Asia to over 310 million viewers. A total prize purse of $105,000 (US) including $50,000 for the winners is available.

Speaking from the team hotel in Kuala Lumpur prior to the semi-final with Brazil on Saturday evening, Macor, the Belconnen United outdoor striker, was in reflective mood.

“It’s been a great tournament. The team has done so well. We were 3-2 up against Argentina, they are ranked number 4 in the world, with a minute to go. And their keeper scores a bomb, an absolute bomb. If we’d won we would have topped the group and played Thailand. Now we play Brazil,” said Macor.

Macor has returned to the Futsalroos, the National Indoor team after a break of seven years.

“I wanted to see if I could still do it. And being here it’s amazing how big the game is in Asia. Until you travel outside of Australia you just don’t realise how big the game is in Asia. And now they are talking about an Asian Champions League. That would be great.

Australia defeated Indonesia, Malaysia, England and drew with highly-rated Argentina on their way to the Semi’s.

“England has started slowly in all games. We were 6-1 up at half-time but they came back strongly in the second half. We’ve had some great results.

“We’re not even semi-professional really, whereas Thailand and others are all professionals. It makes you wonder how the team would go if we could train and play full-time. There is a lot of talent in this Australian team.

“When I left the game seven years ago we used to beat Thailand, now they are second to Brazil in their group. They have a professional league and are in the top ten in the World.

“Being in Malaysia, representing Australia. It’s an honour. Travelling with the team, you make so many friends it’s a fantastic experience. I almost wish I hadn’t concentrated on the outdoor game for the last few years."

Australia will play in the Asian Cup in April in Thailand, and Macor would love to be in the team.

"It's up to the Coach, Scott (Gilligan) but I'd loved to stay involved. The boys say the Asian Cup is a great tournament so I'd like to go, but it's up to Scott."

Australia play Brazil in the semi-final at 9pm AEST tonight (Saturday).

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The latest Futsal Champs: Men's Semi's. Women's first semi.

ACT Men downed the Victorians..comfortably tonight.
Quiet game, but the Vic's were well beaten, maybe 5-1!
ACT cruised to a three goal lead and were never really threatened.

Former Futsalroo Elliot Zwangobani celebrated beautifully in front of the home support.

And in the other Semi....

NSW's beat the Solomon Islands scoring the decisive goal in the last minute. 3-2 to last year's Champs.

But the Solomon's whose players are mainly just 17 were the team to watch.
Skill, pace and tricks, only poor finishing gave the laborious NSW's side the win.

The crowd picked up on the pace and flair of the Islanders who are preparing for the Oceania Championships. A win there and they are off to the World Cup in Brazil in October.

Who would bet against them. Not me! They have bundles of skill, play with tactical nous and will challenge Australia in years to come, if not sooner.

Women's First Semi.

The Matildas were watching from the stands as a Melissa Barbieri led Victorian side went down to a rampaging Jo Burgess inspired Queensland.

A great game this one. Barbieri saved, shot, hit the bar at one point, and generally amazed the crowd. Burgess, dragged, dummied and pounded the goal of her Matildas team mate.

Burgess was inspiring and made it look so so easy.

Queensland won. Score? I dunno. It was late, I was tired, it was hot and I had to go, but the Queenslanders deserved it, just.

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Futsal National Titles kick off with a Victorian win

Matilda's Keeper Melissa Barbieri is playing for Victoria in her first National Futsal Championships this week in Canberra.

More comment and photo's from the opening night below.


Victoria's Open Men's side kicked off the tournament with a pulsating 3-2 win over crowd favourites Solomon Islands.

Victoria raced to a 3-0 win in the opening match of the National Futsal Championships tonight in Canberra, but they despite the start they were in for a fright.

A send-off, early goals, and a great comeback from the Solomons left the Victorians hanging on 3-2 and suggests the Futsal Championships will once again be a great success.

The crowd booed the Victorian keeper as he threw the ball into the corner to waste precious time near the end, making sure the exciting Islanders, who may go to their first World Cup later this year in Rio, were defeated.....just.

Futsal talk was everywhere:
NSW Thunder are favourites in the men's league, Matildas stars Lisa De Vanna and Melissa Barbieri are certain starters for their States. Talk of a Futsal Club Asian Champions League and of course kids, boys and girls all set to do their best for their teams and States or Countries this week. Even A-League players possibly getting to play for the Futsalroos in the 2008 Asian Cup in May.

National Coach Scott Gilligan is looking to select his team for the KL5's in March. Senator Kate Lundy and Gary Humphries and a host of Futsalroo stars watched the opening ceremony and first game.

Should be a great week.

NSW Captain and Futsalroo Simon Keith with Futsalroo Coach and Legend Scott Gilligan

Men's Favourites: NSW Thunder. Will they win?

Vanh Mathongsy, Coach of ACT Cobras. "We've trained very hard for three months. I think we can do well."

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Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC in Futsal. Would you like to see that?

With the Futsal Champs about to kick off in Canberra one could be forgiven for thinking the FFA have forgotten the burgeoning indoor game.

No national league, no national women's team, no grassroots plan.

NSW have had a 17% increase in girl's futsal alone over each of the last few years, but little mention was given to the game in the recent Technical Report.

Will we see a Futsal National League in the future? The Queensland Roar v Newcastle Jets. In a Futsal stadium I reckon it would be great. Maybe even two teams from each club.

With an Asian Champions League expected to start this year and a women's invitational World Cup possibly starting in Rio at the men's World Cup in October it could be an exciting time for Australian Futsal

But the excitement doesn't seem to be coming from the FFA, unless you know different.

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Futsal or Outdoor Football: FFA Which do you prefer?

With the National Futsal Championships about to start in Canberra next week thoughts in the Capital are turning to Indoor Football, or Futsal as it's known.

I'm biased. I love the outdoor stuff, but in my later years spent years playing futsal, and came to love it as I got older and slower.

And if you ask the kids, many, many, prefer indoor over the outdoor game.

Which do Football Federation Australia prefer?

The answer seems clear, and Futsal players will not be happy.


Clearly the Indoor version is second fiddle or even lower down the FFA ranks.

Before Futsal joined under the Football FFA umbrella, the Futsal organisation organised and ran camps and overseas trips for representative sides of all ages.

Today despite their increasing numbers their are far fewer official tournaments, overseas trips and training camps.

The Futsalroos are the men's national side. This year, they will play in the KL 5's in March, then the Asia Cup in Thailand in May.

They need to come in the top four of the Asia Cup to go to the World Cup in Brazil next year.

Camps to prepare? Nil.

Women's National Futsal side? Doesn't exist. Not anymore.

The FFA clearly have put their limited but now growing resources into the Socceroos firstly and now the Matildas.

And you may imagine how people within Futsal, who see this as their number one sport, must feel, when having been taken over by the FFA see their game bursting at the seams in terms of registrations, but getting a smaller and smaller piece of the financial pie, and perhaps more importantly, a smaller and smaller piece of the planning pie.

For five years the games were on SBS. Now there is nothing.

What is the future of Futsal?

And the FFA have gone Dutch thanks to Guus. We now have Rob Baan and Pim Verbeek, and the Dutch don't really value Futsal, certainly not like the Brazilians.

Come to think of it when did the last Ronaldhino come out of Holland?

Does this mean Futsal has little place in the FFA development pathway?

Futsal, so long the darling of SBS, popular in South America and belong, seems to be heading nowhere in Australia despite its popularity.

As outdoor football becomes a 10 month a year game what place is their for a National Futsal League, men and women's in the FFA'S plan?

What place for training camps, representative sides?

Quite simply the FFA can't have Futsal taking some of the next generation of A-League players. We've hardly got enough top footballers as it is.

In Thailand the professional futsal league play their players $1500 per month. The players train twice a day.

In Australia Futsal has been left behind as the FFA swallowed all the football codes, indoor and outdoor, men and women.

Any young person playing Futsal would be well within their rights to ask "What have you done for me lately FFA."

Where is my National League, International Friendlies, Tournaments, prospects for the future.

How does Futsal fit into the National (Dutch) Technical Plan?

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Kai Thornton, 9, star of the Nearpost radio show.

Kai Thornton was our special guest talking Futsal live on 2XX Nearpost show his week.

Kai in the studio


Of course Kai was nervous. He's nine.

It was his first time on radio, talking about his love of football. He told us how he does his 360's and nutmegs in his backyard. How he taught his brother Shae "everything he knows."

"Yeah Shae (7) is good. He should be, I taught him everything I know," said Kai.

And if you wander round the backyard at Kai's place take your boots, there's always a game on, and it's fiercely competitive!

Kai was brilliant on air. A little nervous, who isn't.

But he'd prepared well and relaxed more and more as the show went on.

The Nearpost team loved listening to Kai talk about the teams he plays for, Majura outdoor and The Storm (Futsal).

And Kai was selected for the Canberra North Side representative side during the week.

Well done Kai. You are our youngest, therefore our most special guest, EVER!

And I'll be round for a game soon....when your Dad has mowed the pitch.

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