Courtesy: News Mail


Brothers in arms for state selection

by Joe Flynn

Futsal: Family ties mean little to Chase Connelly when he sees his older brother, Jake, in an Across The Waves uniform.

For the 11-year-old North Bundaberg Football Club star, Jake is just another ATW player.

And that means one thing: competition.

“He plays for Across The Waves and I play for North Bundy,” Jake says.

“It's just wrong.”

But the pair will be able to push club loyalty aside soon when they both line-up in the same uniform - for Queensland.

It is the second year running that each has made the Queensland Vikings futsal squad, and their father Grant could not be more proud.

“They really love their football, they're always kicking the ball around with each other,” he said.

Talented players at the outdoor game, Jake, 15, and Chase took up indoor football three years ago.

And it didn't take long for their passions, and skills, to transfer to the indoor arena.

After picking up his first Vikings jersey last year, Jake was selected to play for Australia earlier in 2009.

But the scheduled trip to Bulgaria did not come to fruition because the international tournament was cancelled.

“Jake was pretty gutted about that because we had planned to go over as a family,” Grant says.

“And then out of nowhere, for no reason of their own, it was cancelled.”

Grant hopes that family trip will come to fruition when the brothers compete in the Australian National Futsal Titles in Sydney next January.

In their respective age groups, each brother will go up against teams from other states.

For Jake, it could be the launching pad for bigger things, with lucrative futsal opportunities in Brazil and Great Britain just a scout selection away.

“I just have to keep working hard,” Jake says.

While Chase, who at 11 is already playing against much older opponents in Under-14 outdoor football, may be too young to think of international achievements.

He only has one thing on his mind for now - smashing arch-rivals ATW in this week's outdoor match.







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