Mike Skubala appointed as new England Futsal head coach

Wednesday 18 Jan 2017

Michael Skubala has been appointed as England’s new Futsal head coach and The FA’s elite performance manager for Futsal.

As former assistant coach to previous head coach Peter Sturgess and head coach of England’s Under-23 Futsal squad, Skubala has a depth of knowledge of Futsal, coaching and elite player development.

And after being involved as a player and coach in over 100 international games in recent years, as well as taking charge of the England team on an interim basis since Sturgess’s departure last year, Skubala will join The FA on a full-time basis after leaving his role as Director of Football at Loughborough University.

He has also held other international appointments over previous years including head coach and assistant coach with British University and colleges GB World university teams in Futsal and football.

“I am extremely proud to be appointed as elite England Futsal performance manager and after nearly 15 years of learning my trade in the game, I am very excited to be able to help The FA shape the future of Futsal,” said Skubala.

“In some aspects, we are behind in Futsal and in others we are in front but for me, it’s about joining up the dots.

“Performance comes from many facets but we are relatively a new sport still and we need to create a Futsal culture that is right for England.”

Speaking about the appointment, The FA’s director of football participation and development Kelly Simmons added: “It’s a big move for English Futsal to appoint a full time elite performance manager to develop and enhance elite Futsal within England.

“We have taken our time over this appointment as we knew this needed to be right for English Futsal and after months of research and discussions, the interview process started in early December.

“The FA selection panel unanimously agreed that Michael was the outstanding candidate for role and impressed throughout the tough selection process.”

Skubala’s first task will be to take his squad to Bulgaria next week, as they enter the UEFA Futsal Euro qualifying round with games against Bulgaria, Albania and Malta.

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By Nicholas Veevers Content Manager - FA Owned Channels