Youth Futsal Championships a Wellington winner despite wild weather

The Futsal community came together in Wellington over the 17 and 18 July weekend for the Youth Futsal Championships.

"It's such a cool tournament - there's just so much going on, so much to watch and plenty of goals to enjoy if you're in the right place," said Marvin Eakins, Futsal Whites coach and NRF Futsal Community Officer.

"At this age the games are so fast, a hundred miles an hour - and when they get into the last day they're all pretty tired! When teams were matched up evenly, there were some very exciting games."

"For some of these players they're looking to kick on into the Super League - some of them already are, in the under 19s and even in the under 16s."

Wild weather played its part on Saturday, with flights from Auckland and Hamilton being turned back, leaving organisers scrambling to re-shape the day's play.

"The NRF and Waikato teams' commitment to get there was amazing, and there were some cool stories about people pitching in to help, billeting players so they could make the court, with some kids coming from Whangarei and further afield and getting some cool experiences on the way," said tournament manager Kevin Forde.

"The Rapids group showed serious dedication to drive through the night to Wellington, moving heaven and earth to make as many games as they could on the Sunday."

With the tournament unable to be played in 2020 due to COVID, it was the first time many competitions had seen each other since 2019.

"It was a great event considering all the obstacles put in the - the play was excellent. The fact that an event couldn't be done anywhere in the world like this - it was great to see some really good Futsal from every team and age group," said Kevin.

"It was nice to get the futsal community together again after missing out last year - for many, they wouldn't have seen each other since 2019, it was great to re-connect," said Marvin.

U19 Boys winners Capital Futsal Yellow. Runners Up: Canterbury.

U19 Girls winners Canterbury. U19 Girls Runners Up: Capital.

U19 Boys MVP: George Walker.

U19 Girls MVP: Freay Lodge-Whitham.