THE TALENTED Sala Futsal Club Under 16s girls team beat off competition at local, regional and national level to be crowned the FA Youth Futsal Cup national champions.
The team won through to finals day at Wolverhampton University on July 9, when the top team from each of England’s four regions battled it out for the trophy.
Sala Futsal Club, representing Manchester FA, won their semi-final 5-1 against Haringey girls from London to tee up the grand final against Merseyside School girls.
After an end-to-end game the score was equal at 2-2. Taking three penalties each, Sala Futsal managed to win 3-2 to clinch the win and the crown of national champions.
Head Coach Neil Lucas commented: “It’s an amazing achievement for these girls, who are mostly under 15s, to win.
“I’ve been coaching some of these girls for the past three or four years and to see them improve is amazing.”
Sala’s 16s boys, who were national champions in 2022, also made it to the final where they played Durham Schools. At full time the score was 3-3, with Durham winning on penalties but Sala 16s boys setting a record of becoming the first team to compete in two successive finals.
There was more success as the under 12s girls claimed third place, which is an amazing achievement.
The FA Youth Futsal Cup, sponsored by Pokémon, is a national competition with more than 1,000 teams from 32 counties entering at U10s, U12s, U14s, and U16s for boys and girls teams.
• Futsal is a five-a-side football game originating in South America usually played on an indoor hard floor surface with a smaller nearer ball with minimal bounce.
Sala Futsal Club runs coaching sessions and teams for boys and girls aged six up to 16 in Tameside, Oldham and Manchester.
Their Head Coach Neil Lucas is a UEFA Licenced Futsal coach who works for Manchester United Women’s RTC coaching futsal to the girls Academy footballers. He has also been an FA coach educator and mentor.
To find out more about Sala Futsal Club visit their website www.salasoccerschools.com or call 07790 779007.
More information about the FA Youth Futsal Cup can be found here.