Courtesy: englandfutsal.com

Path to the FA Futsal Cup finals

The Futsal Cup made a welcome return to the calendar in 2014 under a new format aimed at increasing participation and in its first year it proved to be a success with over 500 teams taking part.

In the Finals, it was Baku United who made it a league and cup double by overcoming fellow Grand Finalist Manchester at the Copperbox and in the women’s competition, University of Gloucester were victorious against Norton and Stockton Ancients.

The 2015 competition more or less kicked-off as soon as the last ball was kicked in the Final last June, with local qualifying leagues beginning in earnest from July.

With additional modifications made in the qualification process aimed at raising the quality of the competition but still providing a pathway for recreational teams, the revised format would prove to be a success with two FA Futsal Fives teams progressing to the national finals and highlighting the competition’s uniqueness of providing a pathway from recreation to elite.

The local qualifying league process continued until November for the men and February for the women, with 67 leagues taking place across the country to 600 teams, all competing over a 12 week period.

The teams which finished top of their respective leagues progressed to eight regional finals taking place over two weekends in November. Unlike the previous year when teams were joined by their more illustrious colleagues from the National League Division Two, the events only involved recreational teams. 66 teams battled it out over the eight regionals which proved to be unpredictable and full of excitement.

The National Qualifiers would be the next stage of the competition where recreational teams pitted their skills against FA National Futsal League teams from Division One and Two.

Six National Qualifiers took place in December with 55 teams competing to win a passage through to the Mini League stage of the competition.

And unlike last year at the same stage, Gateshead Futsal Club, Fourstar, Franklin College and FC Salisbury United from The FA Futsal Fives programme, upset the form book by overcoming their more illustrious National league counterparts to progress to the Mini League stage.

The Mini League stage would form the next part of the competition, where teams were placed into groups and played each other home and away from January to March, all hoping to win the right to qualify for the National Finals at the Copperbox in June.

The competition did not disappoint, with some tight contests across all six of the groups with many of the teams not decided until the final week of fixtures.

This stage also saw the introduction of 16 women’s teams all vying for the right to play at the National finals at the Copper Box Arena. Two qualifiers took place in March in the North and South for teams to try and book their place in the National Finals alongside the men. In two tightly fought qualifiers, a number of familiar faces will be returning to try and challenge current holders University of Gloucestershire.

The 20 teams competing over two days of intense competition on 20 and 21 June will be:

FA Futsal Cup Men’s Groups

Group A
London Zappsport Futsal Club
Birmingham Tigers Futsal Club
Manchester Futsal Club
FC Salisbury United

Group B
Helvecia Futsal Club
Birmingham Futsal Club
Stockport Futsal Club
Genesis Futsal Club

Group C
Baku United
Fourstar
Reading Futsal Club
Reading Futsal Club

FA Futsal Cup Women’s Groups

Group D
Norton Stockton Ladies
Bristol City
Docklands Ladies
Loughborough

Group E
University of Gloucestershire
Just a Ball Game
Feds Fives
FC Enfield






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