These are the international futsal opportunities opening up – and way Grimsby needs a team in FA National League
Manchester Futsal Club will fly the flag for England and compete for a £30,000 jackpot this weekend at the Street Football Grand Finals in Vietnam.
The club have been selected by tournament sponsors and Fox Sports, who will broadcast the finals live across Asia, as England’s sole entrants.
Chairman Simon Wright is delighted the club are representing the nation and believes the team stand a fighting chance of taking home the lucrative cash prize.
“We’re immensely proud to be representing England,” said Wright.
“The players are really confident (and) we’re optimistic we can go there and at least make the business end of the competition.”
Should the team be victorious, they will be presented with the trophy on Sunday by World Cup winning Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, who is the tournament ambassador.
Cannavaro is not the only high profile advocate of futsal with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both having played the game as youngsters.
Futsal is essentially five-a-side football played on a hard court surface with a smaller ball, which bounces less.
The product is fast-paced game conducive to touch, technique and individual skill.
However the twist in the Street Football Grand Finals is that the games are played in cages over ferocious six minutes halves, where the ball cannot go out of play.
Wright expects the on-court intensity to be matched by the off-court crowd in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
“Vietnam have always produced good futsal teams and with two local teams in our group we can expect a loud and vibrant atmosphere awaiting us,” he said.
“In terms of our team I wouldn’t single out any individual because all the players have proved that they’re capable of chipping in with goals.”
Manchester are in Group A and will face a team from Australia, Mongolia and Singapore as well as the two Vietnamese clubs.
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