The Football West Pilot Program Futsal team kicked off their season at the Pro Futsal Centre in Bibra Lake.
The development side are an U12 team who play in the U14 JSFL Winter 2020 competition.
They began against a strong side from Stirling Braza Ginga Futsal Club and despite going down 7-1, program manager Garry Church was pleased with how the team perfomed in their opening game.
He said: “The players were nervous but that was to be expected. However, this did not deter them from trying to play.
“Although there was a physical difference between the opponents and the Football West players, they did not shy aware from any tackles not did it stop them from taking on any of the opponents. You can see the players had the freedom to go out and play and not worry about losing the ball.”
Church praised his players’ attitude after going in at half-time 5-0 behind.
“The confidence grew in the players and they became more comfortable as a team and liking up well when attacking,” he said.
“Although the game is about who scores one more goal than the other team, for us it is how the players develop through this journey.
“The wins are the small things that come from training like winning those tackles, recognising when there is an opportunity to shoot, recognising when to take a player on and playing with confidence. These are some of the things that will help the players develop.”
Caleb Smith scored for the Football West team, who continue against Perth AFC tomorrow at 2.20pm.
Football West squad
PJ Tierney
Tristan Galindo
Jordan Dalby
Isaac Arigore
Caleb Smith
Cain O’Neill
Marcel Ryan
Calen Eeson
Event Okot
Coaches
Dylan Garac
Jose Galindo
Filed Under: State Futsal League