Courtesy: FAI Futsal Portal


Anna Livia Cup Finals

Friday, 06 February 2009

The Anna Livia Cup, which is now in its fourth year, is a concept devised by Dublin City Council’s Sport & Leisure Services Section and the Football Association of Ireland.

The Anna Livia Cup is a Futsal competition for boys and girls aged 10- 14 years. Futsal is a game that originates from the streets of Brazil and is the official 5-a-side indoor football game endorsed by world governing body, FIFA.

When this winter’s competitions began in October 2008, there were 69 boys’ teams and 19 girls’ teams playing across three of Dublin’s local authority areas: Dublin City, South Dublin and Fingal. Over the following weeks, the teams were whittled down to 10 boys’ teams and 5 girls teams. The focus of the competition was on providing young people with competitive sporting opportunities in a recreational environment while promoting fair play.

Saturday, the 31st of January and Sunday, the 1st of February 2009 saw the climax of this year’s Under 14 competitions when the final 10 boys teams and 5 girls teams battled it out to take this year’s crown at the Trinity Comprehensive School, Ballymun. The winners’ prize was a trip to see Manchester United play Blackburn at Old Trafford.

The 10 remaining boy’s teams were divided into two groups with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. With the standard high and the games tight, the bonus point system employed throughout the tournament for fair play became crucial in deciding where each team finished in the group stages.
Marrowbone Lane, Cherry Orchard, Ballymun and East Finglas qualified from the group stages with Cherry Orchard and East Finglas losing out in two closely fought semi-finals to leave locals Ballymun and defending champions Marrowbone Lane battle it out for the winner’s prize.

In a great advert for Futsal, Marrowbone Lane came through a tight encounter taking the title on a score line of 3-2. It was a cruel fate for hosts Ballymun who lead for much of the game.

The girl’s competition was run as a round robin tournament with the top two teams coming through to play in the Anna Livia Final. Ballymun won the group encounter and continued their momentum to take Anna Livia trophy beating St.Teresas Gardens in the Final.







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