NATIONAL LEAGUE REvIEW FUTSAL WHITES ... - Futsal4all - Futsal

13InterviewMatt ChandlerNew Zealand Football | FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White © CreativeBNew Zealand Football | FUTSAL “The Power of Five” Black & White © CreativeBank 2010“Technical, tactical and overloadsare all key factors...Futsal isn’tabout tricks. You must be able toplay each position in the team.”Tell us about your first exposure to futsal.When was this?England was the first time in what wasthen futebol de salon. This was throughSimon Clifford and an FA coaches clinicaround ten or so years ago. He did adisplay on the benefits and I was hooked.The game has evolved since then andnow futsal is the game we all know andlove. In the academies we utilised it as anindoor game. Moving to New Zealand, Imeet Carlos Farias and Mike Groom - bothadvocates of the game in Waikato. Carloscoached the New Zealand team for a while.I was ‘sledge-hammered’ when I watchedthe Cambridge open grade football team(players aged 12-13 years) which hadmany of the Brazilian Futsal School playersin it. And then again, when five of theCambridge squad - all futsal players - wereselected for New Zealand football camps.Mike also had a New Zealand ‘spin’ onit. He has a huge passion and has hadmany international players come throughhis programme and they are outstandingtechnicians. I watched and learnt from boththese men and also developed my ownstyle of coaching the game.You were responsible for introducing futsalto Hawke’s Bay in 2006. Tell us a little bitabout this.I watched young players in Hawke’s Bay andsaw that they needed technical developmentand support. With Paul Toohey, who was alsoa strong believer in technical developmentthrough small sided games and a groupof outstanding people I helped set up HBFutsal. We are seeing the benefits in ourteenage players in Hawke’s Bay now.What do you see as the major benefits offutsal for young players?Technical, tactical and overloads are all keyfactors in the development benefits, as arethe physical fitness components.There are coaches around who believefutsal gives players bad habits. What wouldyou say to these people?I don’t agree - I think people form this viewwithout understanding the game - it isn’tabout tricks etc. Futsal is a tactical gameand you must be able to play each positionin the team due to its rotational nature. Thisdevelops holistic players. There are manygood futsal players playing in top leaguesand internationally. The facts don’t lie.Before we move onto the Futsal Whites,just tell us a little about the early part ofyour career in football - playing days andthen coaching.I played in goal in my teenage years andwas a county player. I was lucky enoughto play for England schools once. I hadtrials at many professional clubs and wasat Southampton on a long term trial andwas released for being too small. HenceI didn’t want to play in goal anymoreand found out I was good as a fullbackand had a ‘cultured’ left foot. I played insemi-professional leagues in my late teensand very early twenties as a left back.Then I went in goal when our number onegot injured and that was it - I was backbetween the sticks and I stayed there. Ithen played in Australia in the Melbournestate league at 22, got engaged andthen went back to the UK at Ryman thenConference leagues playing in goal formany sides around the south east. I begancoaching goalkeepers and worked a lotwith my very young sons and enjoyedteaching them. Funny - but not surprising,my sons are a goalkeeper and defender!I was then becoming injured a lot so Idecided to move into coaching. Within fiveyears I worked my way through the UEFAqualifications, gaining my UEFA ‘A’ Licencein 2003. I was working as Centre ofExcellence/Academy Director at WycombeWanderers in my last job in the UK.Who were some of the people you workedwith as a coach? Did anyone in particularinfluence your coaching style and career?What did you learn from them?Barrie Quin at Brentford was AcademyDirector when I was assistant and was aninfluence on what to look for in developingplayers and Geoff Taylor the youth coachand ex-premier league coach with SheffieldUnited was a very astute coach. WallyDowns, the first team coach at Brentford