Courtesy: www.fifa.com

Futsal festival thrills Auckland

A festival of futsal has wrapped up in Auckland, coinciding with the Official Draw for the FIFA U-20 Football World Cup New Zealand 2015, held at Sky City on 10 February.

Four days of fun, colour, noise and excitement dominated Aotea Square in the centre of the city, culminating in an exhibition match between the Futsal Whites (New Zealand’s national team) and a team of well-known personalities, some who have had their day in the football sun and some whose talents lie away from a football pitch, or in this case a futsal court.

A host of ex-sports stars and media personalities were brought together to take on the Futsal Whites in the festival’s showcase on the evening of Monday 9 February.

Included in the invitation team were former All Whites James Bannatyne and Daniel Ellensohn, former Football Fern Jenny Bindon, a former Junior Wimbledon tennis champion Wesley Whitehouse alongside some familiar names from the world of broadcasting.

Another highlight of the event was a 'Battle of the Bridge' game between the Futsal National League sides of Auckland and Northern. The ‘bridge’ refers to the Auckland Harbour Bridge that spans the magnificent Waitemata Harbour in Auckland and has long been the dividing line in Auckland city rivalries between those that live south of the bridge and those to the north.

The grassroots of the game wasn’t ignored during the festival, with school children ranging in ages from the very young to those on the verge of leaving the school yard taking part in a variety of match-ups.

LOC Chief Executive Dave Beeche said the week was a great celebration. "From the very best to those that don’t play much, if any part in football, the futsal festival was a colourful and exciting way of engaging people in the sport.”

The Futsal Festival was jointly held by the tournament’s Local Organising Committee (LOC), Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), New Zealand Football, Auckland Football and Northern Football.







FP Staff --> info@futsalplanet.com