Vanuatu’s first National Futsal Competition has been labelled a resounding success after over 8000 fans packed the stands to watch the nation’s top futsal players in action.
Aveck Futsal Club crushed Port Vila Sharks 9-5 in a thrills and spills finals to take the top honours in the inaugural competition in front of a 2000-strong crowd.
Head coach Barry Kenneth says he is very happy his team will go into the history books as the first side to win the National Futsal League.
“Throughout the tournament the players trusted me and I trusted them,” the Vanuatu national team assistant coach says.
“I don’t think we were under pressure in the while tournament. I told my players that my greatest achievement would be if we win the title this year and they responded positively on court.
“We were champions in the Port Vila Futsal League but today we are Vanuatu’s club champions too.”
Chairman of the Vanuatu National Futsal committee Louis Dominique says the sheer number of supporters who turned out at EX F.O.L to watch the four day competition was hugely encouraging for the sport.
“I personally thank my hard working committee for their excellent work because I know it’s not easy to organise a big event like this in Vanuatu,” Dominique says.
“I would like to thank all the teams who took part in the competition and congratulate Aveck Futsal Club of Port Vila as the winner of the first ever competition.”
Dominique says thanks to the support of the committee, volunteers and public alike, the success of the league means the second edition will go ahead in Port Vila in January 2015.
The National Futsal League saw 12 teams from all over the country gather in Port Vila for four days of exciting, fast-paced futsal action.
The competition offered local players an opportunity to showcase their skills ahead of the OFC Futsal Championship Invitational scheduled for August.
It also saw a number of high-profile Solomon Island players including FIFA Futsal World Cup attendees James Egeta and Jack Wetney, drafted into the ranks to give a further boost to the skills on display for fans.
OFC
