Courtesy: Gay News Network


FUTSAL FOR ALL

by Anthony Smith

QP’s Anthony Smith chats to Jonathan Saavedra about how he became involved in a GLBT team playing soccer – but not as we know it...

Jonathan, tell me about yourself and how you got involved in sport.
I’m 28 years old and work as an Urban Planner in Brisbane. I made the decision in 2012 that I wanted to join a local sporting team to improve my fitness and meet some new people with similar interests to myself. My friend, Rachel, advised that she knew of a GLBT friendly Futsal team that was looking for new players on Brisbane’s north side. I signed up without having any previous skills or knowledge of Futsal. Needless to say, it was one of the best decisions I made and I love playing every week.

What is Futsal?
Futsal is essentially indoor soccer with a number of small, but important, differences. Firstly, only five members of a team, one of whom is the goalkeeper are allowed on the pitch at any one time, in comparison to soccer’s eleven. However, substitute players can be swapped in at any time.

Secondly, Futsal is played indoors on a smooth floor instead of outside on the grass. The pitch is fully enclosed by nets, which makes for fast paced, non-stop action. Thirdly, a standard Futsal match consists of two equal periods of 20 minutes with a one minute break at half-time.

Futsal is a sport that is excellent off-season training for soccer players. And for non-soccer players, it is a skilful sport, a non-contact sport, and a sport that thrills players and spectators alike.

How did your Futsal team come about?
My understanding is that there were originally two Futsal teams that contained GLBT members. However, due to work and personal commitments, not all team members could make the match every week. So a conscious decision was made by both team captains to merge the two teams.

Tell me about the team, Old Mates United.
Our ten member squad includes people of all genders and sexualities, plus our supporters, and we invite new or experienced players to join. Our games are played every Sunday at the Brisbane City Indoor Sports Centre at 117 Mina Parade, Newmarket, all year round.

You are currently trying to raise funds?
The new season is set to begin in mid-March 2013. Our primary aim is to raise funds to purchase a team jersey as we are one of only a few teams without them. We are proud of who we are and want to show other teams that we are a united team and a force to be reckoned with in this coming season. Our secondary goal is to raise funds to offset the weekly cost of playing Futsal.

If people want to sponsor you, how can they get in touch?
If people are interested in making a donation or if they want to join the team, please contact me directly by email: jonathansaavedra84@hotmail.com






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