Courtesy: Moreland Leader


Futsal club plan for Fawkner

by Kate Swan

02 Jun 08

A 17-YEAR-OLD soccer fan who loves nothing more than kicking a ball around is launching a junior Futsal club in Fawkner.

Riccardo Marchioli, who has played with English Premier League club Bolton Wanderers and is a state selector, said he would coach every team in the indoor soccer club, with age groups from under-four to 12.

"I really love my football," he said, pointing out that he did not mean Aussie rules.

Marchioli, a Football Federation of Victoria accredited junior coach and head of youth development at Meadow Park Soccer Club, said he was discouraged to see that, despite a global peak in interest in soccer, the game was not reported much in Australian newspapers.

"It's common to see 17 pages of AFL news and one column of soccer news in the weekend papers," he said.

"It's disappointing because soccer actually has more junior numbers in Victoria than AFL does."

Riccardo, who plays outdoor soccer for Essendon Royals, said the Futsal club would be a safe and relaxed environment for players to develop.

"I like to base my training on creativity, and put no pressure on them when they play," he said.

"I don't look at the results, I look at how they play the game," he said.

Riccardo, Year 12 at Aitken College in Greenvale, said he hoped to continue coaching after school.

"I definitely want to be involved with football and am thinking about studying journalism to become a commentator," he said.




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