Courtesy: Perthshire Advertiser


Spanish giants ready to coach Perth club

Apr 24 2009 by Johnathon Menzies

A PERTH football club are about to add a touch of glamour to proceedings after agreeing an innovative deal with Spanish giants Real Madrid, reports Johnathon Menzies.

Perth Youth Futsal (PYF) are in touch with Real’s futsal wing, known as Interviu Madrid, and their top coaches are set to regularly showcase their expertise in the Fair City from next month.

PYF head coach and chairman, Steve Chatila, told the PA that around 120 local players are set to benefit from the link-up.

The PYF Allstars currently top Scotland’s national league for the small-sided indoor game and could be set to travel the continent if they pip the other 19 teams to the title and secure their place in next season’s prestigious UEFA Futsal Cup.

Steve told the PA that the agreement – signed jointly with a collection of futsal associations in England – could provide a platform for future success.

He said: “Top Spanish players like Fernando Torres played futsal at youth level and have gone on to win the 11-a-side European Championships with their country.

“All the major clubs, like Barcelona and Real Madrid, have professional futsal teams – the team we’ve linked up with are currently in the semi-finals of the sport’s Champions League.

“They’ve been European Champions twice in the last five years.

“In countries like Spain and Brazil the game is used as the basis of nearly all football training.

“There are no walls like in the 5-a-side people are more used to in this country, so you can’t just batter the ball off the side and hope for the best.

“The emphasis is on short, sharp, passes at a high tempo.

“It’s a lot like the style of football people used to play in the streets in a previous generation.”

Steve, a FIFA-recognised coach who helped form PYF in 2002, added the deal has the potential to nurture multi-million pound talent.

He said: “The most famous player in Brazil, Falcao, earns more money playing futsal than any of his countrymen playing the 11-a-side game.

“People in the Latin countries have been playing the game since the twenties and it has been getting steadily more popular here over the last 15 years.

“This will give us the chance to learn from the best. We’ve already had professional players over here for coaching sessions, which were great, but this will take it to the next level,” he said.


Perth Youth Futsal

THE Spring season continues this Friday (April 24) with the usual full round of league games and coaching sessions.

With only a handful of sessions remaining, the quest for silverware is now reaching a critical stage and teams will be eager to pick up crucial points in the title run-in.

Session times are as usual: 6-7pm for the 12-14 league, and 7-8pm for the 15-17 league.

The club also runs a Player Development coaching programme for players aged 3 to 14 between 7 and 8pm.

There will also be training from 8 to 9pm for players wishing to be considered for the PYF U12, U14, U16 and U18 squads.

This is designed to prepare the squads for a variety of tournaments in the coming months.

The PYF Easter raffle draw was held during the club’s Open tournament. The winning tickets were: 3524 (32" Samsung TV), 0162 (Nintendo Wii + game), 0157 (MP3 & Video player) and 1901 (DVD player)

The club wishes to thank all those who participated.

The PYF Allstars are in action this coming Monday (April 27) and they face a difficult Premier League encounter against the Blue Boys.

The team's preparation for the game was not helped by the news that they have lost two key players for the rest of the season due to injury.

Meanwhile, the PYF Samba Kingz are hoping to arrange a friendly game as their next league game isn't until May 4.

Spanish Futsal Coach Sergio Martinez Diegues will be arriving in Perth during May to help PYF develop their coaching courses and run a few training sessions for the various PYF teams.

This is one of the tangible benefits of the recent link-up between PYF and leading Spanish Futsal and other football organisations, including Interviu Movistar and Real Madrid.

The club have also confirmed arrangements to play a series of friendly matches against the English national team in October.

They are also expecting to participate in a number of prestigious tournaments during 2009 – both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

PYF are arranging taster sessions in various locations around Scotland.

The club’s newly re-vamped website is expected to be launched soon.

For more information regarding Perth Youth Futsal or any upcoming events – or to express an interest in joining the PYF coaching staff – please contact Steve Chatila on: 07849 321 938 (after 5pm).

Alternatively, you can visit the club’s current website at: scottishfutsal.co.uk, or email: secretary@scottishfutsal.co.uk.







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