Courtesy: The Northern Star


Brazilian key at Futsal champs

by Mitchell Craig

10th November 2010

BRAZILIAN class from Alstonville might be just what the doctor ordered when the Northern NSW Futsal team travel to Canberra to compete in the national championships this January.

Vinicius Leite, from Brazil and a resident at Alstonville, guided the team through to the State championships last week.

He now plans to send an ‘SOS’ to Brazil and acquire two new players from his home country to join the team at the nationals.

Leite, 26, took the team of underdogs and outclassed powerhouse Sydney teams, Sydney City and Inner West, at the championships.

“You could tell some of the teams thought they would walk over us and progress to the finals,” Leite said.

“We played with plenty of heart and exceeded all expectations we had of ourselves.”

A hard-fought quater-final win against Enfield was a highlight for the Northern Rivers team.

They won in a penalty shoot-out after a thrilling 6-6 battle. They then brushed past Sydney City 4-2 in the semi-final but ran out of gas, losing 6-0 to Sydney Inner West in the final.

“We had to play two games in a row so we were out on our feet in the final,” Leite said.

“The quater-final really took it out of us and we just couldn’t score any goals in the final.”

Leite, like many in soccer before him, has taken a liking to the five-a-side indoor game played with a smaller ball.

“The sport is really strong in Brazil; we have a national league and crowds of up to 25,000 people come to watch,” he said.

Leite has been a lucky acquisition for futsal on the Northern Rivers. He played soccer for the Mt Gravatt Hawks in the Brisbane Premier League competition this year.

He moved to Alstonville three weeks ago after accepting the role of junior development coach for futsal on the Northern Rivers.

“I am a powerful striker of the ball,” he said.

“In futsal I have adapted to a position of a wing attack. I like it there because I get to do plenty of running and create plays between attack and defence.”

The national titles will be a week-long tournament held in Canberra from January 10 to 15.

The team is seeking donations and sponsorship to attend. Anyone wanting to assist can phone Robyn Lawrence on 66283845.


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