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Football NSW introduce Winter Futsal League for 2021
Football NSW’s Futsal Manager Jordan Guerreiro was excited about the introduction of the new elite competition, which will improve the quality of the small-sided game in the state.
“This is a fantastic opportunity in which our Futsal Players and our Futsal Clubs can now get involved all year round. The Winter Futsal competition is designed to create a middle ground between Grassroots Futsal and Elite Futsal in which Football NSW and the clubs can engage our Futsal players to have a quality competition,” he said.
“The Winter Futsal League I believe is an important beginning stage in the development of Futsal to be perceived as a sport that is played by our community all year round. This initiative also opens up an opportunity for these clubs involved to improve their club’s engagement with their players.
“As the State Governing Body of Futsal, we want to continue to improve our service of the game and continue to build our Futsal framework to develop a community of players. Football NSW would like to create a sustainable league and continue to develop and grow this competition to engage with more clubs to get involved.”
The six teams set to feature in the league are listed below.
Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene.
He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.
Melbourne City’s charity, City in the Community (CITC), has donated new football goals to Barton Primary School in Cranbourne West as part of the club’s Healthy Goals initiative.
The program encourages more young people to play football to promote physical health and gain important social, emotional and cognitive skills that will help their overall development and well-being.
There are three core initiatives that the CITC are focusing on this year:
Supporting local schools with facility improvements to ensure more young people can access our free football programming from CITC.
Supporting community groups and clubs with equipment upgrades and free football programming from CITC.
Working with local artists to commemorate art and football projects, celebrating community pride, and cultural heritage while creating a visually appealing environment for the local community.
This most recent contribution towards Barton Primary School aligns with the first core initiative to support local schools, with Melbourne City players Laura Hughes and Alessandro Lopane attending to talk to the kids.
For the past three years, CITC has been involved with the Cranbourne West Primary School taking part in initiatives such as walking football, inviting students to become player mascots as well as player visits.
CITC’s Community Program Lead, Stephen Frantzeskakis talked about their recent contribution and how the club are continuing to create a positive impact on the community.
“I think it’s fantastic that we’re able to continue supporting Barton Primary School and its students through the Healthy Goals initiative, especially given their strong interest and ongoing passion for football,” he said in a media release on the club’s website,” he said via club release statement.
“We’ve been working with Barton Primary School for a number of years now and have also recently run our respectful relationships program with Grade 5 and 6 students.
“To have strong role models like Ale and Laura come down to speak to students about topics like respect and resilience is terrific, and it’s great to be able to extend our partnership through the donation of new goals as well.”
Barton Primary School Principal, Benjamin Vevers talked about the school’s partnership with Melbourne City and how it’s helping its students.
“Given many of our students were born or have parents and families from other countries, the school is truly passionate about the world game and having new goals means our kids get to fully experience a quality soccer match every recess and lunch,” he said via press release.
“It was a memorable experience that may inspire some of our students to reach for the stars with football, maybe even the Brisbane Olympics!
“Our students are learning to be more respectful of each other during competitive sport, girls are becoming more active during breaks playing soccer, and students are super excited each week for the program.”
It’s important to have these types of initiatives to allow clubs and their players to connect with their local community. We’ve seen these gestures throughout the years from the A-League clubs by continuing to show their commitment to support their local community whether that’s giving back through donations or providing programs to steer young people in the right direction.
Adelaide United have confirmed that Ned Morris will step down as chair after a mutual agreement and will continue in an advisory role with the club.
Morris spent 18 months in the role and Adelaide United has stated they will carefully evaluate the future of the chair position, making sure it aligns with their long-term goals.
Morris and the club have acknowledged that there will be significant challenges along the way, with the internal restructure now complete.
In addition, Adelaide United felt the time was right for a shift towards a local South Australian approach.
Morris reflected on his time serving as chair at Adelaide United and said he is still ready to show the club’s full support:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 18 months working closely with the United family on behalf of Australia’s best A-League fans, the Reds,” he said in a media release on the club’s website.
“I am very confident that we have put in place the right vision, strategy, and key personnel to see the Club achieve ultimate success in the very near future.
“I remain committed to working with Adelaide United in an advisory role and look forward to supporting our men’s and women’s teams ahead of the 2024-25 season.”
Major shareholder and ownership representative at Adelaide United, Cor Adriannse, said about Morris’ contribution to the club:
“We have greatly enjoyed working with Ned over the last 18 months. He has been a tremendous asset to the Club, especially in navigating the difficult post-COVID phase for both the Club and the league,” he said in a media release on the club’s website.
“We deeply appreciate the improvements he has driven alongside our management team. Ned will always remain connected to the Club, and we intend to continue working together in one capacity or another.”
Throughout Morris’ tenure, he drove key developments such as the high-performance program investment strategy, establishing a global partnership with Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven and appointing Ernest Faber as Technical Director in May this year.
He also expanded the Youth Football Scholarships, renegotiated a five-year tenancy at Coopers Stadium and successfully approved several government funding grants.
