Courtesy: Canterbury-Bankstown Express


Junior Sports Star: Robert Mace

14 Jun 11

by Adam Vidler

GREENACRE soccer star Robert Mace doesn’t let much slip past him on or off the field.

So he can tell you almost to the hour how long it is before he jets off to Brazil with the rest of the Vikings futsal (indoor soccer) touring party.

“It’s 46 days until we go,” he said.

The weeks are slipping by slowly, but luckily Robert has a lot to occupy his mind until the plane leaves the tarmac.

The 16-year-old plays futsal and outdoor soccer, the latter with the Bankstown Strikers.

He plays goalie for the Vikings, but can comfortably slot into any position on the field.

His post as custodian is a relatively new one.

“I switched to goalie a couple of years ago,” he said.

“I just thought it would be fun to play.”

Prior to this, he said he played at any spot he could.

His positional ecumenicism is underscored by his choice for favourite soccer star - Chelsea attacking midfielder Frank Lampard.

But the long-time Chelsea fan is used to raising eyebrows.

“People in my family go for Liverpool, so there’s a bit of rivalry,” he said.

Robert started playing soccer outdoors, but his enthusiasm for the sport prompted him to try futsal.

Both the indoor and outdoor varieties of the round-ball game have yielded an impressive list of accolades.

Robert and his team competed in the futsal State soccer schools competition and made it to second place, and was then picked up to play for the NSW Vikings team in a national Vikings competition in Brisbane, where he was again one of the runners-up.

He has also been part of a premiership team in several different competitions, including Vega Summer Soccer and Action Indoor Soccer Bankstown.

Robert was also recently awarded the East Hills Boys High School Outstanding Futsal Player of the Year.

His trip to Brazil is a fine reward for his efforts.

“I’m looking forward to going,” he said.

Robert is also hopeful of taking his talent for the game further.

“I’d love to play at a representative level,” he said.




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