Samoa’s Futsal Team heads to New Zealand

By Ulimasao Fata 02 October 2017, 12:00AM

The first ever Samoa Futsal Team left the country last week.

Futsal Sport is a version of Football or Soccer played inside the gym court with only five players. 

The team left the country for the Oceania Football Confederation O.F.C. Youth Futsal tournament in New Zealand over the next two weeks.

On Thursday last week the Football Federation Samoa announced their two teams of Women and Men who would be representing the country for this tournament in New Zealand.

The Football Federation will also be looking to promote the sport at the grassroots level in Samoa.

The O.F.C. Head of Competitions, Chris Kemp said he is looking forward to breaking new ground by showcasing some of the Oceania’s undiscovered youth Futsal talent.

“With Men’s and Women’s futsal gaining popularity throughout the region we are excited to be offering international experiences for players thriving in domestic competitions,” he said.

“We want to provide a pathway for these young futsal players to reach their potential on the world stage while also creating a strong regional competition to improve the overall quality of the game in Oceania”.

Futsal is not a new game in Samoa but this has been the first ever exposure of the game since its introduction as an Olympic Sport for 2019, according to the Men’s team coach, Horst Petana.

The Men’s division consists of seven teams from Tonga, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, Samoa and hosts New Zealand, while the Women’s division consists of three teams from Tonga, Samoa and hosts New Zealand.

According to a press release from the Football Federation Samoa, the winners for Women’s and Men’s in this tournament with the exception of New Caledonia who are not an Olympic Nation, will qualify for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, where Futsal will make its Olympic debut.

The O.F.C. Youth Futsal Championships will be held at Bruce Pulman Arena in Auckland New Zealand this week from the 4-7 of October.

Team Samoa Mens

Pele. Fatu, Asi. Stanley, Harlen. Russel, Jeffery. Leiataua, Lotial.Mano, Daniele. Scaroni, Falaniko.Naumea, James. Filiimalae, Darcy. Knight, Osi. Savelio.

Head Coach: Horst Petana. Technical Advisor:Valerio Raccuglia Manager: Taumateina Tugaga

Team Samoa Women’s

Marieta Seumanutafa, Sinaotua Sataraka, Maria Ah-ki, Alisa Tuatagaloa, Machayla Chamberlain, Veronica Tafito, Hunter Mary Malaki, Vineta Faleaana, Madaleen Falaniko Ah-ki, Asofa Salele Repeka.

Head Coach: Valerio. Raccuglia Manager: Emily Young Manager Leemo Sofara 

By Ulimasao Fata 02 October 2017, 12:00AM
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