Courtesy: Warwick Daily News


Harrison to represent Australia

by Gerard Walsh

CAITLIN Harrison isn’t fazed about being the youngest member of the Australian Vikings youth girls futsal team to tour China next year.

She first played futsal in Year 9 at Warwick State High School and been part of Warwick football (outdoor soccer) since 2006.

In 2008, she was the youngest player in the Warwick ladies side which won the Toowoomba Football premier grade premiership.

“I like being the youngest in the team,” she said.

She was a midfielder in the grand final two years ago but is now make her mark as a goalie in the indoor game, futsal.

“I prefer the game to be physical,” she said.

“I throw myself around on the floor to stop goals in futsal and get plenty of bruises.”

As well as futsal, football and orienteering where she has represented Darling Downs, Harrison is one of the first to put her hand up when Warwick High fields a school rugby league team.

She played in the recent south-east Queensland Raiders team in the 2010 National School Futsal Titles at Canterbury College at Logan. Her side went down in the quarter finals to a golden goal.

After a strong performance as goalie for the Raiders, she was selected in the Australian team to tour Guangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing for 14 days in March and April.

The Vikings will play against Chengdu schools as well as regional teams and training academies. Football is the number one sport in Chengdu City which has a Manchester United Restaurant, named after the best-known team in world sport.

“It is going to be amazing to fly to China, it will be my first overseas trip,” Harrison said.

“I hope to learn some new skills against higher standard teams.”

Early this winter, she attended up to four training sessions a week with ladies football and futsal commitments before pulling out of her ladies premier football commitments to concentrate on futsal.

“I go down to Queen’s Park to practice with my best mate Chris Leech, we keep each other motivated,” Harrison said.

“I also do a bit of jogging for fitness.”

Long-term, Harrison admits she would love to make football or futsal a career “if I could take it that far”.

If she is involved in close games in China, she will have the experience of 2008 to go back on.

Harrison was part of the Warwick ladies team which won the Football Toowoomba grand final in a penalty shoot out after the game was 1-all at full time at Clive Berghofer Stadium.

She enjoys both futsal and football but admits as a goalie in futsal, her reaction time has to be quicker.

“Futsal is a lot faster,” Harrison said.


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