New Zealand Football: Futsal National League kicks offNovember 19, 2010AUCKLAND – Futsal in New Zealand enters an exciting new era with the launch of the inaugural New Zealand Football Futsal National League in Wellington on November 27/28.
The pilot league features five New Zealand clubs and one Australian team in a fifteen round competition plus finals, played over three series during the 2010/11 summer.
Futsal is the FIFA and NZ Football approved version of five-aside football. It is played on a court with a smaller, low-bounce ball. The game combines creativity, speed, technique, teamwork and quick thinking.
A special feature of the 2010/11 Futsal National League is the inclusion of New South Wales-based Maccabi Futsal, whose squad includes a number of Futsalroos internationals as well as national team coach Steven Knight.
With numerous current and ex-Futsal Whites in their squads, Capital City Futsal (Wellington) and East City (Auckland) will enter the National League with strong claims on the title.
Capital City have five players from the recent OFC Futsal Championships – Khalid Rhazouk, Said Soleimanpour, Tariq Assad, Izaac O’Hara and Lucas Silva, while Clayton Chappell, Elias Billeh, Miroslav Major and Dylan Manickum will line up for East City.
Red Sox (Manawatu) and the newly formed Football South Futsal (Dunedin) and Christchurch Futsal complete the six team line-up.
New Zealand Football Futsal Development Manager Dave Payne says the launch of the pilot Futsal National League demonstrates New Zealand Football’s long term commitment to the small-sided game.
“New Zealand Football and the futsal community are delighted to get the Futsal National League underway. Bringing the game to national prominence has been a lot of hard work for everyone, over a number of years” he said.
“The National Futsal League will feature many of our top players and it presents a great opportunity for futsal and football fans alike to see this great game played on a full-sized international court. And the inclusion of Maccabi from Australia just gives it another dimension.”
Payne said the National League also provided players with the chance to push for selection for the Futsal Whites squad for the OFC section of the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers in Suva in May 2011.
“New Zealand has a real chance to get to the World Cup in Thailand in 2012 and the players will definitely want to get in front of Futsal Whites head coach Matt Chandler and show what they can do, especially in the first series,” he said.
The New Zealand Football Futsal National LeagueSERIES 127-28 November 2010Wellington - hosted by Capital City Futsal
Draw
Sat 27.11
11.00am Maccabi Hakoah (Sydney) v Capital City Futsal (Wellington)
12.00pm Red Sox (Palmerston North) v East City (Auckland)
01.00pm Christchurch Futsal (Christchurch) v Football South Futsal (Dunedin)
02.00pm East City (Auckland) v Capital City Futsal (Wellington)
03.00pm Christchurch Futsal (Christchurch) v Maccabi Hakoah (Sydney)
04.00pm Football South Futsal (Dunedin) v Red Sox (Palmerston North)
05.00pm Christchurch Futsal (Christchurch) v Capital City Futsal (Wellington)
06.00pm Football South Futsal (Dunedin) v East City (Auckland)
07.00pm Maccabi Hakoah (Sydney) v Red Sox (Palmerston North)
Sun 28.11
08.30am East City (Auckland) v Christchurch Futsal (Christchurch)
09.30am Maccabi Hakoah (Sydney) v Football South Futsal (Dunedin)
10.30am Capital City Futsal (Wellington) v Red Sox (Palmerston North)
11.30am East City (Auckland) v Maccabi Hakoah (Sydney)
12.30pm Capital City Futsal (Wellington) v Football South Futsal (Dunedin)
01.30pm Red Sox (Palmerston North) v Christchurch Futsal (Christchurch)
SERIES 212-13 February 2011
Dunedin - hosted by Football South Futsal
SERIES 3 INCLUDING FINALS5-6 March 2011
Auckland - hosted by East City
Games will be streamed live on
www.nzfootball.co.nzPosted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com 
