Manchester Futsal Club will fly the flag for England and compete for a £30,000 jackpot this weekend at the Street Football Grand Finals in Vietnam.
The club have been selected by tournament sponsors and Fox Sports, who will broadcast the finals live across Asia, as England’s sole entrants.
Chairman Simon Wright is delighted the club are representing the nation and believes the team stand a fighting chance of taking home the lucrative cash prize.
“We’re immensely proud to be representing England,” said Wright.
“The players are really confident (and) we’re optimistic we can go there and at least make the business end of the competition.”
Should the team be victorious, they will be presented with the trophy on Sunday by World Cup winning Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, who is the tournament ambassador.
Cannavaro is not the only high profile advocate of futsal with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both having played the game as youngsters.
Futsal is essentially five-a-side football played on a hard court surface with a smaller ball, which bounces less.
The product is fast-paced game conducive to touch, technique and individual skill.
However the twist in the Street Football Grand Finals is that the games are played in cages over ferocious six minutes halves, where the ball cannot go out of play.
Wright expects the on-court intensity to be matched by the off-court crowd in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
“Vietnam have always produced good futsal teams and with two local teams in our group we can expect a loud and vibrant atmosphere awaiting us,” he said.
“In terms of our team I wouldn’t single out any individual because all the players have proved that they’re capable of chipping in with goals.”
Manchester are in Group A and will face a team from Australia, Mongolia and Singapore as well as the two Vietnamese clubs.
The biggest threat to Manchester’s chances are the reigning champions from Brazil, who the English side will probably meet if they are to win the tournament.
The Brazilian representatives are in Group B alongside another two Vietnamese sides as well as teams from Cambodia, China and Malaysia.
Like any chairman Wright cannot help but covet the financial prize on offer, although the well-being of the club is his only motive for doing so.
“We’re an amateur club and we rely on donations, so that money would secure the future of the club and give us some sustainability,” he added.
To track the team’s progress this weekend follow @MFC_Futsal on Twitter or visit http://www.manchesterfutsal.com and MM will also be reviewing the tournament on Monday.
Image courtesy of Manchester Futsal Club, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
