NZ Men’s Futsal team thrash Waikato All Stars
A 500-strong crowd turned up to see a futsal match at Hamilton Boys High
Waikato fans got a taste of top class futsal this week when the New Zealand Men’s Futsal Team took on a Waikato All Stars.
The match was played in Hamilton Boys’ High School gym, in front of a crowd of approximately 500 who watched New Zealand’s finest futsal players take on a Waikato team featuring former All Whites Che Bunce, Mark Cossey, Mike Groom, and Aaron Scott.
Futsal, a variation of regular football which is played indoors with teams of five players, is becoming increasingly popular throughout New Zealand.
In response to this Waikato Bay of Plenty Football entered a team in the Youth Futsal National Championships for the first time earlier this year, with several of those squad members playing for the All Stars squad on Monday night.
Futsal Development Officer, Brayden Lissington, said the free exhibition match was a great opportunity to get Waikato residents involved in futsal and to showcase the exciting game.
“We are starting our Waikato leagues in two weeks; from there we are putting together a Waikato Bay of Plenty team to enter the national league at end of year.”
The match itself got off to a tough start when the young Waikato side went 3-0 down in the opening minutes, however a brave comeback, spurred on by the vocal home crowd, saw the All Stars rally to trail New Zealand 5-3 at halftime.
After some strong words at the break, New Zealand clicked into top gear in the second half, winning the match 11-3.
Lissington was delighted with how many spectators turned up to watch the match, and was full of praise for the Waikato squad’s fighting spirit.
“For them (Waikato) to come together and score three goals tonight and put on a show I was stoked… I am pretty sure this is the biggest futsal event we have had in NZ, so to have it as the first ever in the Waikato is unreal.”
Local boy Elliot Collier, who attends St Paul’s Collegiate and plays for club side Hamilton Wanderers, said the chance to play for New Zealand in front of his home crowd was an amazing experience.
“It was awesome… I’ve only started playing Futsal this year, this is my first game for New Zealand.”
Collier had nothing but praise for his young opponents.
“They are really good, a couple of them trialled for the New Zealand team and they did really well… [futsal] is definitely growing in the Waikato.”
Futsal leagues will be kicking off on Monday, July 30. For more information contact Waikato Bay of Plenty Football.
