ENGLAND CALLS ON SHEFFIELD

England has called on the expertise of a Sheffield five-a-side team in their build-up to a major football tournament.

The national visually impaired squad began preparations for the World Futsal Cup in Manchester this December, with a friendly at the University of Sheffield's Goodwin Sports centre.

Players from all over the country travelled to take-on a sighted
representative team drawn from the Sheffield United Academy FA Qualifying Futsal League.

Sheffield is regarded as having one of the strongest regional leagues in the country, with a number of players having international honours. Phil Smith, who plays for national champions Sheffield Hallam, selected the side which beat England 10-1.

He said: "The result was not what the game was about. The FA asked us to put out a strong side that would test the VI squad and highlight the areas in which they have to improve"

Sheffield's English Institute of Sport has been chosen to host the FA
National Futsal Finals in June. Futsal is FIFA's official version of
5-a-side and the game has captivated the imagination of millions of people from across the world.

To qualify for the national finals a series of regional tournaments are taking place around the country, including two in Sheffield - one at Sheffield United's Hallam FM Academy and another at the University of Sheffield's Goodwin Sports Centre.

* Futsal involves squads of 12 players on a pitch of roughly 40m x 20m with a ball that is smaller than the standard one with a low bounce. There are no rebound boards and a match is played over two 20-minute halves.