Courtesy: FAI Official Web Site


Eircom FAI under-21 Futsal League of Ireland

HISTORY will be made at the National Basketball Arena this Sunday when the country’s first Futsal champions will be crowned.

Futsal is the only version of five a side football with FIFA’s seal of approval and this year saw the introduction of the first eircom FAI Under-21 Futsal League of Ireland.

Eight clubs joined the initial pilot league, which kicked off at the beginning of March, and now the final four meet to decide the champion club.

A prize fund of €5,000 and an historic place in the UEFA Futsal Cup competition is on offer for the winning side.

Ireland has yet to take place in the UEFA Futsal Cup, which is Champions League-style club competition, and the finals of that event are scheduled to take place on Saturday night in Murcia, Spain.

Sunday’s semi-finals have produced an intriguing match-up with Bray Wanderers meeting UCD in one game and Bohemians facing arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers in the other fixture.

The two winning sides will then face off later in the afternoon to produce the country’s first champions.

UCD topped the group stages with Republic of Ireland under-19 international Greg Bolger and Timmy Purcell – who scored in the Brandywell last week – making a big impression.

Bray Wanderers have been an impressive outfit with just one defeat to their name. Colleges international David O’Sullivan and Gary McCabe have been their most impressive performers.

Bohemians boast several skilled teenagers with under-17 international Ian Byrne, Alan Lynch and Brian Kelly all producing excellent displays for Richard Sutherland’s side.

Shamrock Rovers have been one of the most spectacular sides with Ciaran Kilduff topping the scoring charts on 17 goals and other talents like Dane Massey, Mark Langtry and John Perkins starring.

Fixtures

FAI Futsal Under-21 semi-finals:

Bray Wanderers v UCD, National Basketball Arena (12.00pm)
Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers, National Basketball Arena (1.15pm)

FAI Futsal Under 21 final:

Winners Semi-final 1 v Winners Semi-final 2, National Basketball Arena (3.45pm).




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