by Peter Smith
source: Australian Soccer Association

An Auckland select Futsal (indoor) team will tour Australia over the coming week playing games in Sydney and Brisbane. A highlight of the tour will be a three match series against a combined NSW/ACT side that will be looked after by national team coach Scott Gilligan. The New Zealanders will also play four games against Australian club sides on their week-long tour.

The Kiwi tourists will take on the Queensland Vikings three times in three days at ANZ Indoor Stadium before turning their attention to Sydney.

In Sydney, the combined NSW/ACT side will meet the New Zealanders at Dural Leisure Centre on October 18th at 7:30pm. The teams will clash twice more with both matches being staged at Blacktown Leisure Centre, Stanhope Gardens. The first leg is in Sunday, October 19th at 5:30pm with the return leg kicks off on Tuesday the 21st at 8:30pm.

Other matches have been scheduled at Stanhope Gardens against club sides, NSS (Homebush) (20th Oct - 7pm) and Dural Warriors (23rd Oct - 7pm), while the tourists are in Sydney.

The NSW/ACT squad comprises players from the ACT and NSW sides, which featured heavily in this year's National Club Championship. The squad also contains a number of players who have competed in the National Soccer League including the likes of Leo Carle (Sydney Olympic) and Elliot Zwangobani (Canberra Cosmos).

The full squad is: Angelo Konstantinou (ACT), Gavin O'Brien (NSW), Brett Hewit (NSW), Simon Keith (NSW), Paul Lombardo (NSW), Andrew Nolan (NSW), Ben Singleton (NSW), Adrian Vizzari (NSW), Lachlan Wright (NSW), Elliott Zwangobani (ACT), Leo Carle (NSW), Miles Downie (NSW), Luke Fattore (ACT), Mark Lancaster (NSW), Peter Spathis (NSW), Matt Whyte (ACT).

The tour follows the deferment last week of the OFC World Futsal Qualifying Tournament which was due to be held later this month in Canberra. The qualifying tournament is now scheduled to be played in mid 2004.

The 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship will be played in Chinese Taipei, with Australia having competed in all four previous World Championships since the inaugural titles were held in 1989.

Results

1st Test 18th October 2003 at Dural
NSW/ACT select vs. Auckland Select 10-3

2nd Test 19th October 2003 at Blacktown
NSW/ACT select vs. Auckland select 10-2

3rd Test played on Tuesday 21st October 2003 at Blacktown
NSW/ACT select vs. Auckland select