New Zealand's finest young Futsal talent will be on display at the Youth Futsal Championships at Wellington's ASB Stadium this Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The tournament has run for several years, and after taking a break in 2020 due to the pandemic, seven federations and 46 teams are entered with roughly 550 players taking part in the 2021 edition. 

"Futsal is the FIFA-endorsed indoor game, it's five a side, it's fast and exciting and one of the fastest growing team sports in New Zealand, particularly in youth and secondary schools," says New Zealand Football's Kevin Forde. 

"It's the pace of the game, there's goals everywhere. It's an easy sport for kids to access, it's always at the same venue, you dont have to worry about weather, and it's just a great fun game," says NRF's Hayley Stirling.  

The age groups include Under 14, Under 16 and Under 19 players - "Its a great chance for these kids to take part in a national tournament, see what that's all about and have fun with it, and enjoy a different part of the game." 

"It can be unpredictable which teams will do well. This tournament wasn't run in 2020 due to COVID, so there will be unknowns, with kids changing age groups since last time and how squads are made up," said Kevin Forde.  

"Traditionally Auckland, Mainland, Football South are very strong, but at each age group there are different strengths - we're about to find out!" 

"Federations with local leagues that support this format have a bigger player pool to choose from, they're usually well equipped when they come into these tournaments," said Hayley Stirling. 

"But there's always teams that you don't expect that come out of the tournament and suddenly they're winning trophies. It's going to be a great weekend - if you're in Wellington, come and have a look," said Kevin Forde.    

All the games take place at Wellington's ASB Stadium on the waterfront, the full draw is here and many games will be live streamed on the NZ Futsal Facebook page.

Article added: Friday 16 July 2021