The two-day festival is the biggest youth Futsal event of its kind and will provide a fantastic exhibition of the best youth Futsal teams and players that have earned the right for a place at the final. Expect no shortage of skill and excitement and a fantastic atmosphere provided by the hundreds of players and supporters!

The FA National Youth Futsal Festival will see 80 youth teams from across the country playing over the weekend at U10, U12, U14 and U16 age groups. These youth teams will travel from all corners of the country after winning their local county Futsal Festival, and then progressing through their Regional Festival to represent their region in the National Finals. The FA National Youth Futsal Festival celebrates both boys and girls Futsal, with the focus being on enjoyment, skill and fun.

The FA’s Futsal development programme in schools and within junior clubs has had a significant impact on the playing opportunities for young players to get involved with Futsal and understand this popular format of small-sided football. This has created a growing affinity with The FA National Youth Festival amongst young players and their coaches over the years which always ensures an action packed and exciting prospect for everybody involved.

“The FA National Youth Futsal Festival is a wonderful occasion that brings together young people from across the country to participate in a game that they love,” said Simon Walker, The FA’s National Manager for Small Sided Football.

“The atmosphere of the event is terrific and the young players really thrive at being involved in an FA national event.  Futsal is a game that can really play a positive role in assisting the technical development of the young players in this country.”

The FA National Youth Futsal Festival takes place on the 2 & 3 July 2011 at the International @Futsal Arena in Birmingham

You can follow all of the FA National Youth Futsal Festival updates on Twitter – @FAYouthFutsal

England Futsal Head Coach Peter Sturgess has named his squad for the games with Greece next month, which take place in Sheffield.

The majority of the 15-man group featured in May’s games with Montenegro in Hereford, with one change seeing Agon Rexha replaced by Byron Andrew and Ian Parkes from Team Bath joining up too.

Sturgess’ team will play Greece twice in two days at the English Institute Of Sport and tickets are on sale now.

The Squad

James Dalton – Leeds Futsal Club
Ben Mortlock – Sheffield FC Futsal
Jason Kilbride – Middlesbrough Futsal Club
Neil Morgan – Loughborough University Futsal Club
Thomas Obasi – Unattached
Byron Andrew – FC Genesis
Nick Colley – Unattached
Luke Ballinger – Chippenham Futsal Club / Frome Town
Will Rooke – Loughborough University Futsal Club
Robert Ursell – Helvecia
Sam Murphy – Brighton Electricity
Ollie Wheatly-O’Neil – Sheffield FC Futsal
Curtis Holmes – Sheffield FC Futsal
Grant Osborn – FC Enfield
Ian Parkes – Team Bath Futsal Club

Devlin said; Futsal is new to me, but I’ve been told it’s a physically and mentally demanding game at national level. However, I’m looking forward to the challenge as futsal is the only form of football I have not yet played.

First team coach Ikhlaq said; Paul Devlin is a massive signing for the club, he has so many qualities that the squad will benefit from, we are all looking forward to him making his debut.

This is another sign that Team United Birmingham is more then capable of attracting big names to the club.

This is the first occasion in the England Futsal squad’s short six year history that they have won back-to-back games, and with it being against a nation that is ranked 28 places higher than the Three Lions in the FIFA Futsal world rankings, it was particularly pleasing for Coach Pete Sturgess and his men.

In the first game particularly, England played some excellent Futsal, looking confident, controlled and appearing as if they believed they would beat this Andorran team. Belief is something that is gradually growing within this England squad, and two convincing wins of this nature will stand the team in good stead for the upcoming UEFA European Futsal Championship qualifiers in January.

England captain Luke Ballinger may have stolen the show over the course of these two games with his four crucial goals sealing the victories in both games, as well as earning him the record of England Futsal’s highest ever goalscorer, but it was not just a one-man show.  The entire England squad played important parts over the course of these two games, with key contributions from a number of individuals.

England started the first game in breathtaking fashion, playing at a high-tempo, with slick accurate passing and good quality movement off the ball. And indeed, a slip on the half-way line by an Andorran defender within the first minute allowed Ballinger his first goal into the bottom corner with confidence. It was the perfect start for Pete Sturgess’s men and helped to relieve some of the tension in the players.

Andorra had shown glimpses of being able to cause England some trouble, and a couple of tidy saves from goalkeeper Curtis Holmes ensured England were in the lead at half-time. However, this quickly changed when an uncharacteristic defensive mistake from the Three Lions directly from the Andorran kick-off for the second half allowed them to storm through the heart of England’s team to enable Raventos to slide the ball past Holmes and into the bottom corner to level the game.

England bounced back, with Rob Ursell, in electric form, directing the pattern of England’s play.  The Andorran’s simply could not get to grips with Ursell’s quick feet and sharp movement, and he tore into the Andorran defence creating a number of goalscoring chances for himself and his team-mates.

However, it was Ballinger who gave England the lead, finishing off a strong English passing move, with Ursell quickly adding a third goal to seal the game. England continued to play positively and controlled the game with Jason Kilbride making his England debut particularly standing out.

The second game started cautiously with both teams opting for patient build-up play rather than some of the more high-tempo Futsal that was played the previous night.  In the fifth minute Ben Mortlock finished a slick passing move to give England a 1-0 lead.

England started the second half much like they finished the first, with passes were going astray. Their movement was not as fluid as the previous night and Andorra were effective in breaking up the English playing patterns. Although dominating the game, England looked a little edgy until Rob Ursell fired into the top corner to make it 2-0 after some good work from Byron Andrew and Kilbride.

Andorra did not help themselves when Oriol Anglora petulantly kicked the ball away after a free-kick was given against him and the referees had no choice but to send him off for a second bookable offence. Andorra then seemed to implode and with only four men on the pitch continued to play with a fly-goalkeeper that put considerable strain on their ball retention skills. This tactic backfired dramatically, with Ballinger (twice) and Ben Mortlock both capitalising in the last minute by scoring after seizing possession with the Andorran fly-goalkeeper halfway up the pitch. Three goals in the final minute gave England a 5-0 victory, the largest win an England Futsal team has ever recorded, and allowed Ballinger to reach the momentous landmark of being England’s top goalscorer with 25 goals in 34 games.

These two significant wins are the ideal preparation for the England squad before they embark on their tough European qualification adventure.

Jemma was invited to train with the women’s squad after impressing coach, Ikhlaq Hussain, whilst playing against Team United.

Ikhlaq said of the addition “Jemma has the ability to become a very good futsal player, her attitude and commitment is faultless. Something that’s impressed me even more is her mental strength and energy levels. Jemma has the ability to play in any position on the court.”

Jemma meanwhile is clearly relishing the challenge “The tempo in futsal is very high, it keeps me on my toes, constantly making decisions and playing in confined spaces. It will definitely improve my overall game and above all I really enjoy the sessions and think it is great fun.”

This is another sign that Team United Birmingham have made massive strides in attracting big names to the club. Having recently secured the services of former Ajax, Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion football legend Richard Sneekes.

With only six weeks until the start of the men’s National Futsal League, Team United Birmingham will hopefully be announcing two more additions to the men’s squad, one being an international from Asia and the other being a European Futsal player. Both players are at the early stages of talks with the club so watch this space for more details.

Donaldson said; Futsal is new to me, I will be taking a very keen interest in futsal over the coming months to get myself familiar to the game. However, I’m looking forward to the challenge and am very excited at the opportunity of playing in The FA National Futsal League.

First team coach Ikhlaq said; I have known O’Niell for a few years and have been keen on getting him involved, it was just about the timing and making sure we are in a good position to attract him to the club, he will add even more experience to the ever improving squad.

This is another sign that the club is moving in the right direction, being able to attract big names to the club shows the hard work that we have put in is paying off.

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England gave the home support something to cheer about with two outstanding displays that demonstrated significant improvement in this squad. Pete Sturgess’ men have been quietly but rapidly building up momentum over the past 18 months, promising to deliver not only improved performances but also results on the international stage. England, once condemned as the whipping boys of international Futsal, on the evidence of this tournament have turned the corner and are now a force to be taken seriously.

As recently as Christmas 2008, England were ranked a lowly 128th in the FIFA Futsal world rankings. Yet following a transitional period where Sturgess decided to cease playing international matches and to instead focus on extended squad development sessions for over six months of 2009, the England team have risen over 30 places to 95th in the rankings. Perhaps not as high as Sturgess and the England players wish or deserve to be, but this team definitely seem to be on the move – upwards!

Their results this Easter weekend helped to demonstrate this. Prior to Sturgess’ reign as England Head Coach, the squad had only achieved one victory in over five years of competitive international Futsal. Now England have a further three wins and two draws to add to this tally under Sturgess’ invigorating stewardship of this team.

England went into this Four Nations Tournament as joint underdogs with Malta. The Futsal world had limited expectations for England’s chances of success, but there was a quiet air of confidence and determination within the England camp. Following the opening game of the tournament, where Turkey surprisingly defeated Finland, the favourites, in an exciting 3-2 game, England faced Malta in front of a crowd of 350 spectators eager for England to deliver on their potential.

England started at a roaring pace and never looked back. Playing intricate, confident Futsal, the England players demonstrated superior skill and technique to dominate the first half. So much so that the England team could and should have been leading by a significant margin within the first five minutes with Matthew Mifsud, the Maltese keeper, having a busy evening. Ben Mortlock finally broke the deadlock after six minutes to give the England team the lead, which was rapidly followed by an excellently worked goal from Nick Colley two minutes later. This eased the tension within both the England squad and the home crowd, and quashed any Maltese hopes of a victory. This barnstorming start from England was not wasted, and the team continued to attack creating chance after chance. Tomas Obasi capped an excellent first half display by scoring in the 16th minute giving England an unassailable 3-0 lead going into half-time.

The second half saw more of the same. England played with a confidence and technical ability that had up to this point only been shown in rare glimpses during their short international Futsal history. The only negative point was England’s incredible profligacy in front of goal. In their previous game against Cyprus, England lost due to their wastefulness in front of goal, and again they demonstrated this trait that will surely undermine the team in future if they fail to improve in this area. England had over 50 shots at goal with 34 on target, adding a further two goals in the second half with Luke Ballinger and Rob Ursell taking the final scoreline to 5-0.

An incredible result for England; they had hoped to beat Malta but had not expected such a convincing total. This was the first time England had kept a clean-sheet in international Futsal and was also the biggest winning margin. Going into this game, England and Malta were similarly placed in the FIFA World Rankings, but England were vastly superior and the scoreline should have been in double-figures.

England progressed into The Final of the tournament to take on the impressive Turkey the following day. This would be a far more difficult challenge for the English, with the experienced and talented Turkey team ranked 30 places above England and overwhelming favourites leading into the game. Thoughts of an English victory prior to the game were verging on the ludicrous and pre-game discussions were more orientated around what the Turkish winning margin would be.

The form-guide and pre-match predictions looked ominous for England as Turkey settled into their rhythm and flow, effortlessly dominating the early exchanges. England fought bravely and created a couple of half-chances until Turkey slammed two goals past keeper James Dalton in quick succession in the eighth and ninth minute. England seemed lost and for the remainder of the first half could not find any response to impose themselves on the Turkish game. The Turks were cruising, playing a brand of Futsal that England had apparently no hope of matching. The inevitability of the result gloomily transferred to the 450 spectators who despondently watched their team, fearful of the impending carnage. England finished the half 2-0 down and many of the English supporters must have contemplated not returning for the second half.

The England players, frequently accused of not having the backbone or battling spirit required of any international team, let alone an English national team, were a transformed side at the start of the second half. Pride and passion were displayed by the English in abundance, and this was intertwined with skill and quality that not only shook the crowd into an electrifying noise but also had the Turks wondering if this was still the same English team they were playing.

Rob Ursell, who had hereto been shunned by the England coach, started the second half on a mission to prove Sturgess’ mistake in not playing him in the first period. Ursell danced around the Turkish players, showing much needed craft and imagination. Turkey simply didn’t know how to handle this extra dimension that Ursell offered, and were soon licking their wounds when Ursell scored a scintillating goal within 30 seconds of the restart. The crowd had suddenly re-found their interest in the game – perhaps England would go down fighting? Two minutes later they also re-found their voice when the inspirational England captain, Luke Ballinger, finished off an exquisite move to draw the game level at 2-2.

England were playing like a team scorned; there was a fury and determination about their play that Turkey simply could not handle. The only Turkish answer was to repeatedly foul the English dynamos that led to the dismissal of Aziz Saglam, one of the more creative influences in the Turkish team. Direct from the corresponding free-kick, Ballinger managed the unthinkable and gave England the lead. The crowd were in ecstasy: this was a comeback of mammoth proportions. England had managed a complete u-turn in the flow of the game with only four minutes of the second-half gone.

Turkey responded with dramatic effect. Raising their game and pressing England back into their half, wave after wave of Turkish attacks crashed down upon James Dalton’s goal. The English goalkeeper pulled off a multitude of impressive saves to keep England in the lead, but with three minutes remaining the inevitable and deserved equaliser came. Turkey passed the ball quickly, pulling the English defence out-of-shape offering Cicek the opportunity to shoot from distance. The Turkish defender had a cannon for a shot, and it flew into Dalton’s top corner.

Although disappointed, England managed to regain some control over the match, and whilst not looking likely of scoring they also did not look like they would concede. Both teams looked prepared for extra-time. In the last minute of the game, Ballinger took a kick-in deep in his half and knocked a difficult ball to Matt Aldred. Unable to direct his header, Aldred inadvertently placed the ball squarely into the path of Turkey’s most impressive player, Yildirim, to convincingly knock past Dalton to steal the match 4:3. The crowd were stunned, the England players were devastated, they had lost the game with only three seconds remaining on the clock. An awful way to lose any game let alone The Final.

On the whole, Turkey had probably deserved the victory, but only just. England should take great heart and pride in not only the way they fought but in the quality of their performance. There were periods in the second half when Turkey simply couldn’t live with the English players, and this should hopefully breed confidence and reassurance in the England camp that they are rapidly progressing. The future looks bright for English Futsal with plenty of promise on the horizon for this crop of young English players.