Skövde and Tirana in spotlight

The 2006/07 UEFA Futsal Cup gets under way this weekend with the start of the preliminary round when 16 teams will compete for eight places in the competition proper.

First fixture
The hopefuls have been divided into four groups of four - A, B, C and D - with the top two from each section progressing to October’s Main round. Another 20 teams will enter the competition at that stage. The preliminary round features champion clubs from six nations competing for the first time. Five of those are from Austria, Germany, Malta, Scotland and Switzerland, with the other being Skövde AIK of Sweden. The club have the honour of getting the 2006/07 ball rolling with their 17.00CET fixture against KF Tirana of Albania on Sunday.

Busy schedule
The Group C encounter will be played at the Winter Palace Sport Hall in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, with FC Mladost acting as the hosts for the group. The 'home' side will then follow the opening game with their match against Hibernians FC of Malta. Tirana will then take on Hibernians next Monday, with Skövde up against Mladost. The group will conclude on Wednesday with Mladost taking on Tirana and Hibernians meeting Skövde.

Chance to shine
With illustrious names like holders Boomerang Interviú of Spain not yet involved, the likes of Skövde and Tirana deservedly get to take centre stage. The sport has risen at a rapid pace but it is growth in countries like Sweden and Albania that those promoting futsal see as essential. Both Skövde and Tirana have links to established eleven-a-side teams but for now it is futsal which is firmly in the spotlight.

Successful time
Skövde are based 180km north-east of Gothenberg and were founded in 1919. While the eleven-a-side team are working their way back up the footballing ladder, and play in the fourth tier in Sweden, the futsal side has gone from strength to strength. They won the 2005/06 domestic competition, staged during the winter, and will therefore have the right to be Sweden’s first entrants in Europe’s premier competition.

'Nice experience'
Among the players to watch out for are the freescoing Jakob Orlov and the creative Johan Johansson. Coach Gudmundur Magnusson is hopeful that competing in the UEFA Futsal Cup will be of benefit his players, even if they do not win through to the next stage. "It's a nice experience and it gives us a chance to increase our skill and technique," he said, adding that it was difficult for his men as they also had to focus on football.

Second title
Similar problems concern Tirana, who progressed from the preliminary round of the 2004/05 UEFA Futsal Cup and have won their second Albanian title in three seasons to earn another crack. Although there is strong support from sponsors, the players are amateur and there is still a way to go to rival the more established futsal teams. They do have the benefit of an experienced coach in the form of ex-international Agostin Kola, who also works with the Tirana eleven-a-side team.

Aiming high
As a result of such divided loyalties, Kola was unable to devote all his energies to futsal at the end of the last season although he is back at the reins and will travel to Sofia. Despite admitting he had "not been with the team much", Kola was clear that Tirana were aiming high. "I know players are ready to play and we will go in Sofia to perform well and qualify," he said. Among their ranks is Ani Mullaj, who scored seven goals for Dinamo Tirana in last season's competition.