The New Zealand Futsal Men’s National Squad got together this past weekend for an intensive training session in Wellington.
Twelve players from this squad will be selected to participate in the 2008 OFC Futsal World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be held in Suva, Fiji from 8 to 14 June this year.
The players from Waikato, Auckland and the North Shore were hosted by Capital Futsal and the sessions overseen by Brian Blellock.
Fifteen members of the 19 man squad were able to attend the training sessions which ranged from general Futsal skills, fitness, body maintenance and small-sided games.
The main aim was to get the players from Auckland and surrounds together with the Wellington players. Players also studied top level games and games of the last Futsal World Cup Qualifying Tournament in 2004.
A team of Brazilians joined the practice games to challenge our players.
From the Auckland players’ perspective, they found the weekend invaluable in that they could work with the Wellington players and learn from each others strengths.
Each player personally got something different out of the camp, but all in all they agreed that the get-together added determination to make the most of the opportunity to enter into the Futsal Qualifying Tournament in Fiji.
All players went away tired but energised with the knowledge that the final 12 players are going to make a great team, motivated to take on the best in OFC.
Players who attended the training camp were:
Bakr Al Saudi
Wayne Bates
Elias Billeh
Greg O’Connor
Lucas Cordeira
Jonathan Crook
Leyvaine Davids
Anton de Gregorio
Marvin Eakins
Luke Field
Andrew Gwilliam
Michael Hunter
Joshua Martin
Yukin Naidoo
Victor Zaia