Australian Visit

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Wednesday 31st August 2007.
Australian touring group visit to Grimsby Institute 2007

This was the second visit by the group comprising 57 coaches and juniors futsal players.

The visit started with a taster futsal game between the Institutes ‘Academy’ football players, assisted by the Australian football coaches.  When asked only 1 of the group had played futsal previously; illustrating the gap between Great Britain and the rest of the world with regard to the game.  Futsal is played by more people world wide than any other small sided sport; more countries enter the futsal FIFA world Cup than their 11v11 game.  The Academy players adapted immediately to the game, to be competitive at the game they will need to be coached in awareness of the games tactics.  Tactics not always visible to the casual observer.  Two players asked afterwards were they could play the game on a regular basis.

The Australians then played demonstration inter age group games within their own squad. I would need to ask more questions to be sure of the perceived ability level of their group.  The Australians, as most of Europe, use the 31st December as their age cut of date, we use 31st July (school year); so comparison is not straight forward.  As a consequence if they say age 13 I match them with our age under 14 players.  The net result to date is that the Australians have a 100% record against us.  What was noticeable was the overall fitness and technical quality of the group.  There were none of the weak links you would have got in a UK group.

A second College group then played the older Australians (16) in an entertaining game in which they improved from the experience of playing.

Lindsey School finished the afternoon of with matches between the Australians their u/13 and u/15 teams.  Both teams qualified and played at last years FA National Futsal Finals at Sheffield.  Gaining a first and second place.  Nether team would have played much futsal since; the visitors were playing the game and being coached daily. Lindsey older boys got off to a 0-4 start which is hard for the most experienced teams to recover from; that they got back into the game was a credit to them; it was the opening re awakening to futsal that cost them.  The younger Lindsey boys struggled throughout their game; they were at a size disadvantage that might well be linked to the age question.

It is not for me to pre judge what the invited observers made of, what was for many, their first viewing of futsal.  I hope they appreciated the demands and speed of the game, the number of skills and the number of touches of the ball each player had.  If anyone is unsure of the games benefits futsal is part of the schools curriculum in Brazil, in France they want all juniors to experience an hour of futsal every day.  We are not leading the way; in the UK we are playing ‘catch up.’

From the College the group went the short distance to Second Avenue Resource Centre where the visitors very surprised to find a full size astro futsal court without the usual multi court markings.  They were less impressed with our outdoor weather.

Broughton Ravers under 15 Girls gave a creditable first futsal performance. McKid’s a Grimsby League under 17 team then played the older visitors, a game they might have won had they had the energy of the extra players on the visitor’s subs bench to call on.  

Results will be immediately forgotten; it was a great experience for our junior players to have the opportunity to associate and play against our Australian guests that will be remembered.

Kevin Bryant
11/4/2007