6 July 2008
VIDEO: The FA UMBRO Futsal Cup 2008
Click on the link to watch action from The FA Futsal Cup 2008, where Helvecia and Doncaster Belles were winners 

The FA National Futsal Play-Off Finals,
27 - 28 September 2008,
Loughborough University Arena.

This weekend sees the six top Futsal teams from The FA's National League decend upon Loughborough to fight it out for the first ever title of National Champions.

The Tournament draws together the top two teams from The FA’s three Elite Regional Leagues in the North, Midlands and South and these six teams will contest for the right to become National Champions, qualifiers for the 2009 UEFA Futsal Cup and win £5,500 in prize money.

This will be the first time that the Tournament has been staged and reflects The FA’s commitment to support and popularise a game that has great potential to contribute to the technical development of young players.

Players such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Deco and Robinho all played Futsal in their younger years and credit it for contributing to the development of ball skills that have seen them reach the heights of world football.

The final six teams reflect the international nature of Futsal in this country and alongside the English players there are a large number of Brazilian, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian and Iranian players represented.

The end result will no doubt be difficult to predict with little to separate the favourites – London White Bear, Ipswich Wolves and Helvecia, who were all involved in this year's FA Futsal Cup finals, highlights of which can be seen above.

Helvecia won that competition in Sheffield in July, beating previous winners Ipswich Wolves so they will be keen to add to their titles whilst the men from Suffolk will be hoping to put their name down as the first ever winners of National Champions.

The Tournament will be staged at the Loughborough University Arena with the support of Leicestershire & Rutland County FA. The competition begins at 10.00am on Saturday and runs right through to 9.30pm with six games scheduled. The second day of the Tournament begins at 9.00am with the Final scheduled for 5.30pm.

Tickets are available on the door priced at just £3 for adults and free entry for children.

The teams

Birmingham Tigers Futsal Club

Birmingham Tigers Futsal Club was established in January 2007 by Davood Aria, a former international player for Iran. The Tigers went on to qualifiy for The FA Futsal Finals in their first season of competitive Futsal and since 2007, they have competed in The FA Futsal Cup 2008 and have finished in the top two of the FA Regional League – Midlands. After only two years of playing together, the team have grown in strength. Most of the players are from the Iranian community in Birmingham and this season have developed into one of the top teams in their FA Regional Futsal League. The Tigers are now looking forward to competing in the National Playoffs and making a lasting impression.

Tranmere Victoria

Tranmere Victoria, the club with the greatest impact on Futsal development in England, have qualified for the Futsal playoffs in convincing style, winning the Northern Conference by nine points. Arguably the best known team in the country, the Vics are made up of mostly English players having many years Futsal experience behind them; with the opposition almost entirely continental European, it's hoped Tranmere Victoria will have the full support of the home crowd. Key players to watch out for are Northern League top goal scorer Jay Corran, his brother Mike, and Hugo Costa.


Manchester Futsal Club

Manchester Futsal Club have demonstrated their attacking prowess throughout the season by finishing as top scorers in The FA Futsal Conference North with no less than five players reaching double figures in the scoring charts. The team have improved with every game and have shown that they will be more than competitive in this year’s play-off competition.  Manchester were also participants in The FA Futsal Cup finals in Sheffield in July.

FC White Bear - USSR

FC White Bear are a London based  Futsal club who were formed in 2003 and have since emerged as one of the driving forces in UK Futsal, by winning National Titles in 2004 and 2006. The coaching staff and several of the players are former professionals from their native countries in Eastern Europe, which is a key reason behind the club’s recent success. The benefit of having Futsal experienced players has helped the team’s rapid rise to the top of UK Futsal. Team manager Oleksandr Saliy, a qualified coach and referee in football and Futsal, has been a key factor in player selection and attracting quality players to the club.

Ipswich Wolves

Winners of the 2007 FA Futsal Cup, the Wolves were favourites to retain The Cup in July and reached the Final only to lose out to a last second goal against Helvecia. Manager Jorge Ribiero has assembled a formidable Futsal team made up from the Portuguese community in Suffolk. One man to watch over these games is Bruno Ferage, Wolves’ main playmaker and the heartbeat of their team.

Helvecia Futsal

The winners of this year’s FA Futsal Cup in July, the London-based team are largely made up of Brazilian players and they won The Cup in dramatic fashion in Sheffield with Thiago Roberto Diorio netting the winning goal with less than a second of play remaining. Raoni Medina is one player to watch, having played professionally in Asia and Europe as well as alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Sporting Lisbon B team.

Tickets are available on the door, at just £3 for Adults and free entry for children.