SELECT Futsal Premier League ready for take off
It’s shaping up to be a sizzling summer as the 2016-17 Football NSW Select Futsal Premier League kicks off this weekend – the 10th edition of absorbing competition!
While the season might be missing an old face following the relegation of foundation club Campbelltown Quake, the state’s highest Futsal competition features entrants from far and wide.
ACT-based Boomerangs FS rejoin the fray, while a toughened South Coast Taipans maintain their penthouse stay, joining UTS Northside and Mountain Majik in challenging Sydneysiders Dural Warriors, Enfield Rovers, Inner West Magic and Mascot Vipers.
Let’s face it – every club will need to pull off a ripper season to loosen Dural’s perennial hold on the open men’s category (five straight grand final triumphs to go with five of the last six premierships), and the Warriors form guide is enviable winning 23 of their last 24 league outings (Enfield managed to snare a thrilling 6-6 draw midway through last summer).
But Mascot Vipers enjoyed their best-ever top-flight season wrestling the club championship from Magic’s grasp for just the second time in the competition’s 10-year history, and stalwarts Inner West will always be in the premiership picture, while Enfield’s attacking prowess (highest average scorers of all time with an 5.3 goals per game) offers ample opportunity every time they step on the court.
Boomerangs FS blitzed last season’s Premier League 2 to make short work of their temporary demotion and will want to ride their wave of momentum into this summer, while UTS Northside, South Coast and Mountain Majik also have high hopes of bettering their usual low-flying table positions to make a playoff dash.
Old foes Warriors meet Boomerangs in the first of this Saturday’s opening-round clashes, with Majik against Magic, Rovers versus Taipans and Mascot tackle Northside. Visit the Football NSW website (Futsal tab) for full details.
Mountain Majik vs Inner West Magic 4.40pm Blacktown Leisure Centre
Enfield Rovers vs South Coast Taipans 7.50pm Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre
Dural Warriors vs Boomerangs FS 7.55pm The Centre, Dural
Mascot Vipers vs UTS Northside 8.50pm All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre
Quake’s top-shelf contribution
After a Premier League high 141 grueling top-flight games played over nine exciting years (Inner West Magic/Allstars 137 matches, Mascot 128, Dural 108) scoring at a rate of 4.7 per clip (only Enfield 5.3 and Dural 5.3 average higher), a chapter folds on the great Quake shake.
A NSW Futsal League foundation club in 2005/06 (only Mascot and Inner West Magic/Allstars survive in the premier division) Campbelltown’s contribution to the development of Futsal talent can’t be understated, with dozens of junior and senior premiership and championship accolades adorning their crowded trophy cabinet and hundreds of Macarthur juniors making state and national teams – with many more no doubt still to come.
In the coveted open men’s category [ed: to be confirmed] Quake won the second Futsal League grand final before an official Premier League formed for the 2007/08 summer, the ‘Purples’ later claiming the 2009/10 championship crown with a 4-0 drubbing of Inner West.
And although Campbelltown never won the club championship (runners-up to Magic in 2009/10) and never won the open men’s premiership (runners-up three times from 07/08-09/10), no club has made more senior finals than Quake with eight post-season appearances (Inner West 7, Dural 6, Sydney City 5, Enfield 4, Mascot 3).
They’ve made the second-most open men’s grand finals (three times to five Warriors looks) and contested six of eight preliminary finals (winning three), also scoring the most finals goals over the years (59 in 19 contests, Dural 46 in 12).
Quake chief Carlos Martinez is never short of words and his integrity and dignity spoke volumes for the type of club Campbelltown aspires to be, talking of loyalty and commitment and the desire to deliver Futsal opportunities to thousands of south-west Sydney youngsters.
“At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about – providing an opportunity for people to reach the highest levels in this sport,” he said at the end of last season.
“Other clubs have been very nice to us [about the relegation] and I’ve heard nothing but good comments from what have been essentially our rivals over all this time… but we just weren’t good enough,” he lamented.
On the flipside for every tragedy there’s a triumph and Martinez wouldn’t hold back his praise for a brave Taipans in retaining their Premier League rights at his own club’s expense.
“[I spoke] to several people from South Coast and really congratulated them on their achievement,” he said. “It was a great competition between us all season and they are very proud of what they did – premier league is very difficult to stay involved in and deserves appreciation.”
“It was already a massive step up for the Taipans to stay in league [promoted in 2011/12 they went down the very next season], and with traditionally-strong Boomerangs coming back into it it’s another good test for everybody to remain where they are.”
-By Dan De Nardi
