Gilligan is based in Australia but visited these parts to pass on his knowledge to the region’s budding coaches, as well as take in the action from the third and final series of the Futsal National League at ASB Stadium in Kohimarama.
Prior to the national league action kicking off, he delivered a pair of New Zealand Football courses – an Introduction to Futsal and the Level 1 Coaching Award – at the tournament venue before also taking Auckland Football staff through the Level 1 session at the federation’s Mt Smart Stadium headquarters.
The courses were available to anyone with an interest in futsal and Gilligan was pleased to note the diverse range of the participants’ backgrounds.
“We had school teachers, guys that have played at a national level, a couple of parents of young players and, most excitingly, some young coaches who are coaching junior and youth teams,” he says. “We’re really pleased with how it all went.”
Gilligan is an ideal man to assist in the sport’s development as he is one of the most experienced futsal practitioners in the Pacific region, having led the Australian national team before becoming head coach of the Futsal Whites.
He was at the helm of the Futsalroos for seven years after a representative playing career that included two world championships. He is also a FIFA Futsal Instructor and was formerly the Futsal Development Officer for OFC.
His current role is not limited to taking charge of the Futsal Whites and he is working closely with Dave Payne, Futsal Development Manager for NZ Football, to deliver coaching courses and other such programmes across the country whenever possible.
He has been impressed with the growth of futsal here and is excited at what the future holds.
“The response to futsal in this country over the last five years has been outstanding as far as I’m concerned,” Gilligan says.
“People are starting to take notice of what the sport’s about and also to understand that it’s not a competitor to football, it’s actually an enhancer.”
Futsal has been played in New Zealand since the 1980s but there was no formal structure or any player/coach pathways in place until its governance was brought under the umbrella of NZ Football in 2009.
“The focus of what futsal can do has changed and the growth has been quite enormous. If you look at the numbers now playing futsal, whether it’s in an organised competition or ad hoc activity, we have up to 40,000 people interested in the game,” Gilligan says.
“The coaching side of things at the moment is very limited to be honest because there were no formal coach development processes taking place in the past. The players who have been involved in the game for a number of years were never taught the right techniques or tactics so they pretty much developed their own style – it’s more of a football style that’s been adapted to the futsal court,” he adds.
“So it’s really a re-education process we are undertaking and that’s why I’m excited about the young kids coming through now. They’re starting to get the benefit of players who have come through the system in the last five years who have learned a little bit about how futsal should be played and are starting to pass that knowledge on.”
Responsible for doing so in the Auckland region is AFF Futsal Development Officer Marvin Eakins, who is also captain of both his federation and the national team. Eakins has recently been joined in driving the growth of futsal in Auckland by Nic Downes, appointed in the newly-created role of Futsal Development Assistant last month to work mainly with local schools.
With Gilligan’s visit and the hosting of the Futsal National League final series, the pair have had their hands full but are pleased with the progress made.
“Working alongside Scott was a great opportunity for myself, as well as the budding futsal coaches,” Eakins says.
“It is pretty rare to get the coach of a national team delivering courses for coaches of all ages. We hope this experience will inspire more people to be part of one the country’s fastest-growing sports in all areas of the game.”
Story courtesy of Auckland Football Federation