Courtesy: Come on Boro


LEGENDS FUTSAL CHARITY TOURNAMENT REVIEW

by Elle Brunton

5 February 2009

Can you teach a legend new tricks was the theme on Sunday afternoon as ex-Boro stars Jim Platt, Craig Hignett and Curtis Fleming, and special guests, BBC Tees commentator Alastair Brownlee and Redcar Bears' Gary Havelock, donned their shorts and did battle against Middlesbrough's young futsal side.

Futsal is the Brazilian version of five-a-side football and is often used in training to help footballers develop their skills. However, it is growing as a sport in its own right and Middlesbrough's Futsal team has been busy establishing links with MFC.

As a VIP guest, I was given first refusal of the buffet and settled instead to watch the games.

Watching the initial stages of the tournament, I quickly noted the fundamental differences between futsal and football.

The basic rules of futsal are:

1) Five aside, played with a smaller, heavier, less bouncy version of a football
2) There are no height restrictions
3) Kick-ins are employed instead of throw-ins
4) Goalkeepers must get rid of the ball within four seconds of touching it.

But some aspects of the game are exactly the same and mistrust of the ref is one of them!

Boro's captain Ryan Leyshon - who has just received a call-up to the England Futsal squad -expressed his opinion fairly loudly, saying: "When I saw who was refereeing, I thought 'oh fuck' because he misses everything!"

The event was in aid of The ClicSargent charity which is an amalgamation of Clic (Cancer and Leukemia in Childhood) and Sargent Cancer Care for Children, which was set up in memory of Sir Malcolm Sargent. Dee Richardson, an Event Fundraiser for ClicSargent, explained:

"The charity is aimed at youth groups for all ages but mainly for children in primary schools.

"We help them set up their own football fundraising event, such as schools putting their Head Teachers in goal and taking penalties against them.

"They get a pack with everything they need to put on the event and 25% of what is raised, they can keep to spend on equipment if they want to."

Despite the Boro Futsal lads generously lending the Legends their first choice goalkeeper, the Legends were soundly beaten 9-3 but Craig Hignett did get the hat trick!

Ali said: "It was good fun but very different. The tactics are different and the ball is heavier. "Everyone goes forward and then everyone goes back so we were saying 'you go back' et cetera and we shouldn't have been. "And in football there is a certain pride in not being subbed but that's not the same here - it rolls, everyone off, everyone on. But I enjoyed it."

Curtis Fleming, said: "I couldn't last two minutes! It is all end to end stuff and they are all about twenty. I'm nearly forty!"

Complaints included that the ball was too heavy and the Legends could not get used to weighting their passes.

Earlier in the day, Boro had lost to Scottish side Perth, who had then drawn with FA Futsal League North champions Tranmere Victoria.

A raffle was also drawn in aid of the charity and dancers performed to keep the audience entertained in the breaks between matches.

Later on, Boro beat Tranmere 5-2 to help Perth pick up the ClicSargent Shield.

Middlesbrough Futsal manager Damon Shaw, who organised the event, said: "The first few people who came turned up because they heard me on the radio with Ali [Brownlee] so I was happy with that. "It is all about getting out there and promoting the team and the sport. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it and we will get a few more next time."

Look out for an interview with Boro Futsal captain Ryan Leyshon, who has just been selected for the England Futsal squad. Coming soon.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com