Futsal at the heart of Robert Hill

From the days of playing with a giant tennis ball to the change of name from ?indoor soccer?, the Prairiewood High School teacher has become immersed in the game over the last 18 years.
After coming to Australia from his native New Zealand, Mr Hill made the transition to the five-a-side game in fortunate circumstances.
?When my son was six, there was no one to take the indoor soccer team at the local centre,? he said.
?I volunteered and I have been involved ever since.?
Over the last decade, Mr Hill has shared his coaching expertise with teams in the NSW Futsal Premier League and Super League. At present, he is the coach of the Mascot Vipers Under 16 Girl?s side that will take on Inner West Allstars in the Preliminary Final this weekend.
Although, Mr Hill was at risk of missing just his second game in three years after being scheduled for heart surgery.
?I was meant to be in hospital but it got postponed which is good because it means I can still be involved in the game.
?Some of the girls I?ve had for a few years and I?m a dedicated coach so I pride myself on not missing training sessions.?
A heart attack suffered in December prevented Mr Hill from attending the 2012 FFA Futsal Nationals where he was preparing to coach the Under 15 Girls NSW Thunder side. The Special Needs teacher has never played futsal, but has committed himself to helping the game expand.
In fact, he has become the pioneer for futsal at Prairiewood High, helping unearth the talents of many students.
?I was taking outdoor teams at the school and I was interested in futsal.
?The first competition I took a girls team to, we got pole axed-we actually got beaten 20-nil.?
True to his character, Mr Hill stuck to his guns and learnt more about the intricacies of futsal. Two years later, the same girls team went on to be crowned state champions. The following year, four of the girls were chosen to travel to Greece as Australian representatives.
Prairiewood High now boasts seven futsal teams (four boys and three girls), which will head to the NSW Schools Regional Championships in the coming months.
It is a major achievement for a school that had scarce knowledge of futsal just a decade ago.
Although modest, the influence of Mr Hill has been instrumental to spreading the awareness and skills of futsal. So what does he put almost 20 years of futsal involvement down to?
?I was 16 when I started playing National League in New Zealand and I played along side a lot of English players who had played at the top level,? Mr Hill said.
?They helped me so much and I always appreciated the help that I got.
?I said to myself I want to put some of that back into young people and teach them all the skills like I was taught.
?As a school teacher I see so many students go off the rails and the ones that have sport are the ones that have a lot more respect in the community.
?I like to see young people participate in sport because I believe it?s a valuable part of their life so they don?t get off track, which is so easy today.?
Although he is truly a stalwart of futsal in NSW, Mr Hill says every day is a learning experience. If his Mascot Vipers girls can go all the way this year, it may be tough to contain his excitement.
-By Mitchell Grima