Kazakhstan beckons for rising Futsal stars

The majority of players heading to the World University Futsal Championship in Kazakhstan are from the University of Auckland – no surprise given the popularity of the sport within the University’s inter-faculty sporting tournament.

They will be joined by talented University of Auckland futsal coaches Marvin Eakins and Nic Downes, who have also been selected to lead the men’s and women’s teams respectively.

Futsal is a form of football, usually played on an indoor court with five-a-side players.

One of the players, 23-year-old science student Shivanthi Anthony, also plays football for Three Kings United, but says she loves the fast paced nature of futsal.

“It is amazing how the dynamic can change instantly, with goals being scored and conceded within seconds. Futsal keeps everyone on their toes and it’s always exciting,” says Shivanthi, who is also a Futsal Fern, the New Zealand national women’s side.

Medical student Naji Ghamri, 23, says Futsal is great stress relief and participating in the sport has opened-up some incredible opportunities.

“Representing New Zealand has always been a dream of mine. Kazakhstan is an extra exciting destination because if not for futsal, I doubt I would have ever planned to visit,” Naji says.

So far 24 nations have confirmed their registration for the 2018 FISU World University Futsal Championship including Brazil, China, Spain, France, Germany and the United States.

The New Zealand teams will take part in intensive training camps to be held at the University of Auckland in July and early August before departing for Kazakhstan on 16 August.

The competition is self-funded and the students are seeking sponsorship to attend. Each student has also received a $1000 grant from the University of Auckland’s Sport Support Fund.

The University of Auckland students representing New Zealand are Emily Gillion, Jenna Dodd, Hannah Kraakman, Maxine Cooper, Shivanthi Anthony and Tessa Leong for the women’s side, and Luke Maynard, Vaughan Somerville and Naji Ghamri for the men’s side.