Futsal fledglings enter Europe

By Paul-Daniel Zaharia and Greg Demetriou

Two Futsal fledglings will take their first steps in the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup next month, when England's Tranmere Victoria FC play AS Odorheiu Secuiesc of Romania for the final place in the first qualifying round.

Croatian challenge
The winner of this preliminary round tie will go into the Group 2 mini-tournament, which will be hosted by Croatian side MNK Split and also include Belarussian side Dorozhnik Minsk and Finnish contenders Golden Futsal Team.

Newly formed
Odorheiu Secuiesc, from the town of the same name in eastern Transylvannia, were only founded in 2001 when the mayor and four businessmen decided to form a team integrating the best players from the area. "That's why we chose the name AS Odorheiu Secuiesc - and not to give the team the name of a firm, because this club belongs to the town," said club president Attila Orban.

On the up
Although much of the region favours ice hockey, Orban said Futsal was gaining in popularity: "Here the climate is milder, we don't have an ice hockey hall and that's why the locals prefer sports like handball, football and especially Futsal."

Final success
In 2001, Odorheiu Secuiesc won the regional phase of the national championship, but the finals did not take place. However, they were able to build on a second regional title - in 2002 - by winning the national finals in February 2003, beating Intermures Tirgu Mures 2-1 in the final.

Impressive facilities
Among the squad, coached by Zolatan Jakab, are the 36-year-old Lajos Kiss and 16-year-old Gall Istvan, although the average age is 25. The team play in a 1,780-seater hall, although it can accommodate 3,000 spectators, as shown when the national finals were held there last February.

Two decades
Tranmere Victoria, meanwhile, have a history stretching back over two decades but the team from the north-west of England have made major strides in recent times. Until this summer, the club had to travel abroad or play unofficial competitions due to a lack of opponents, but the game is developing quickly in Britain.

Futsal first
The first national FA Futsal Championship took place in July. Following six regional competitions, a total of 12 teams were involved, but Tranmere Victoria were surprisingly eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Sheffield Hallam.

Big step
Despite that disappointment, Tranmere Victoria's secretary Neil Thompson said: "It would be great to be the best team but the only way we can get better is to play stronger sides. It is bound to happen if the game is going to go forward. This tournament was a big step. It showed that the FA are taking things forward."

International recognition
A sign of the club's continued progress is that three of the team, brothers Jay and Mike Corran and goalkeeper Graham Smith, represented England in the KL Fives invitational tournament in Malaysia. Thomspon said the trip was an "awesome experience" for the trio and a boost for the club.

Uncharted territory
As for Odorheiu Secuiesc, Thompson claimed the contest would almost certainly be a trip into the unknown for both sides. "We have no idea what they are like and they probably have no idea what we are like," he said. "It will be an interesting game."

Rest warned
With the 7/14 September showdown looming, Romania and England are certainly ready to take their Futsal development to the next level. Regardless of who makes it through, the rest of Europe's élite will do well to be on their guard.