Courtesy: rish Independent


O'Neill's Ireland on home ground for Futsal debut

Thursday February 19 2009

HISTORY will be made at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght tonight when an Irish side participates for the first time at senior level in the UEFA Futsal Championship.

Futsal, which is five-a-side indoor football with a smaller ball, has been growing in recent years, with an Irish U-21 side competing earlier this year. A number of teams have progressed to senior level for this week's preliminary round, which puts the hosts in a four-team group with Cyprus, England and Kazakhstan.

The senior member of the side is Thomas Morgan, best known as the captain of Brian Kerr's U-20 team which finished third in the World Championships in Malaysia in 1997.

Ireland manager Derek O'Neill is looking forward to the action.

"We hope to put up some great displays of Futsal against Cyprus and Kazakhstan, both are very experienced sides," he said. "The England game is sure to be tense. They're hoping for a win but so are we."

Republic of Ireland fixtures: v Cyprus, tonight, 8.0; v England, tomorrow, 8.0; v Kazakhstan, Sunday, 6.0.








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