Courtesy: North-West Evening Mail




It’s high fives for Ulverston futsal ace

ULVERSTON futsal ace Will Rooke took his international goal tally to five with a brace against Switzerland.

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

The 21-year-old won his 10th and 11th England caps when the Three Lions played a friendly double-header against the Swiss over two nights in Hereford.

Rooke scored a goal in both games as England triumphed 3-1 and 4-1.

The GSK Ulverston Rangers player, who is studying for a masters in sports biomechanics at Loughbrough, took up futsal – a variant of football that is played on a smaller pitch, mainly indoors and using a smaller, heavier ball – around two years ago when starring in his successful university team.

He told the Evening Mail: “Switzerland are ranked higher than us but we were the better team in both games.

“I was happy with how I played and the manager was happy too.

“A futsal team has five players on the pitch at any time and positions interchange, but I mainly play as top man, so it’s important I get among the goals.”

Rooke was last year part of the England team that took part in a FIFA Futsal World Cup preliminary qualifying tournament held in Latvia.

England exited the tournament but not before recording wins over Cyprus and San Marino, with Rooke bagging a hat-trick in the latter match.

He also played when the national team travelled to France for two friendly matches in January.

England lost 3-1 and 5-3 against formidable opponents and in front of crowds of more than 2,000.

The heavier ball and rules of futsal create a sport that emphasises on improvisation, creativity and technique, as well as tight control and passing in small spaces. The Three Lions futsal team, which was formed only nine years ago, are ranked 89th in the world.




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