Courtesy: The FA.com


Northamptonshire revolution is gathering pace

By Matt Hardy

Thursday, 08 March, 2012

Kettering Futsal Club head to Hereford in search of FA Futsal Fives glory.

Success, hard work and enthusiasm tend to come hand-in-hand with administrating sport, and developing a successful FA Futsal Fives League is no exception.

As The FA have established a number of new FA Futsal Fives programmes nationwide, Northamptonshire FA kicked off its second season of small sided competition in February after the league's fantastic debut back in the autumn of last year.

The second season was met with increased excitement and February saw all eight who took part in 2011 return, as well as the introduction of two brand new sides, taking team numbers up to ten.

Kettering Futsal Club are the most established Futsal name in the league. Despite having only been formed officially for the 2011-12 season, the club have developed quickly and now have 20 players playing each week, across two teams in the Northamptonshire FA League.

Kettering “Black” were crowned league champions in the league’s first season and the reward for the team managed by Nick Taylor, will be a trip to thePoint 4 in Hereford on Friday evening where they will play a show game prior to the Futsal international between England and Switzerland.

On that night, Kettering will face a strong side from the Liverpool FA Futsal Fives programme and it is a fantastic opportunity for a club which has shown a great deal of motivation to get up and running. They have desires to push forward and to break into The FA National Futsal League, so the opportunity they have been handed is fantastic. They have raced clear in season two, so expectations in Northamptonshire are high and the county will be firmly behind their league leaders.

Sam Hallett is League co-ordinator and many connected with the league will tell you that its initial success owes as much to his drive and love of the game, as it does to the establishing of well ran sides such as the Kettering teams.

“As you know we were selected to run one of the very first FA Futsal Fives Leagues in the country” explained Hallett.

“I’ve been delivering Futsal in schools now for over five years and my love of the game and its principles were what really drove me to get involved and grow Futsal in Northamptonshire.”

Working closely with Bill Henry at Northamptonhire FA, Hallett set up an introductory tournament in order to attract teams to what is still a relatively young version of Futsal in the UK.

“The hardest part was the initial recruitment,” he added.

“Futsal was relatively unknown in the area and it was a real challenge to introduce the concepts that make Futsal unique.

“Once we had got people playing though, the buzz was fantastic and the game really sold itself.

“We had no issue at all getting teams to sign up for the league.”

As they enter the fifth week of competition in season two, the standard of Futsal being played in the league is improving with every game played. One of the big attractions of recreational Futsal is the relatively good spirit in which the game is played at all times.

“The league is maturing really well. We are seeing new tactics introduced constantly and the standard of Futsal being played is now much greater than that when we first started," he said.

“The best thing for me though is that games are extremely competitive but played in really good spirits which is something that I feel sets Futsal apart.”

As they reach the half-way point of season number two, Hallett has strong desires to continue the exceptional level of progress that the Northamptonshire FA Futsal Fives has had.

“Our main focus is ensuring that our high standards don’t drop” he explained.

“Players, officials and supporters look forward to Mondays at the moment and that is something we wish to keep up.

“If we continue with the benchmark that we have set ourselves we are in a great position to really push on with the Futsal revolution in the area.”

With Hallett’s enthusiasm and clubs like Kettering and Peterborough emerging in the area, Futsal certainly looks to have a bright future in Northamptonshire, something Hallett is quick to contribute in part to the format of The FA Futsal Fives programme.

“The FA Futsal Fives has enabled the sport to grow in the area in such a short space of time.

“It enables you to immediately link with a brand that is being pushed nationwide and slowly but surely it is becoming a recognisable name.

“More publicity means more interest, more interest means more players and more players, ultimately means much more Futsal in your league.

“If I could offer any advice to anyone considering getting involved in The FA Futsal Fives it would be don’t hesitate and do it. Having the programme’s backing has been essential to our early success.”




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