Futsal team sets sights on Europe
24 August 2015
It will be a UK university first this week as Cardiff University’s Futsal team travels to Montenegro to compete in the UEFA Champions League.
Earlier this year, the elite five-a-side football team fought off stiff competition to take the coveted Welsh Cup, enabling it to qualify for next week’s European tournament.
The club will now travel to Montenegro to compete against teams from Ireland, Montenegro and Croatia in the tournament’s preliminary rounds.
It will be the first time any university from the UK has competed at the UEFA tournament.
Team captain and graduate from the University’s School of Dentistry, Christopher Hugh, said: “The team has worked exceptionally hard over the past few years and progressed hugely. When we won the Welsh Cup earlier in the year, everyone was ecstatic and excited to know that we would be able to test ourselves against top European sides in the UEFA European Championships. There were tough games along the way to the final, but a strong performance against Briton Ferry in the final was an impressive way to finish.
“It has been a successful year for the team, with this win as well as reaching the semi-finals of the BUCS National Championships and finishing runners-up in the national league.
“Everyone has been preparing for Montenegro over the last couple of months and we’re in good shape. With some strong wins in preparation friendlies we also have some momentum to take with us. We are all excited but know that opposition will be fierce, so we will need to be at the top of our game and hopefully we will be able to create some upsets and prove what a good side we are.”
Cardiff University’s Head of Sport, Stuart Vanstone, said: “Futsal is a growing sport for the University but one that we’re committed to developing further. This year we have sustained two men’s teams and a ladies’ team, each of which are competing in competitive league structures.
“Qualifying for the UEFA competition is testament to our strategic plan for the sport, which also includes investing in facilities to ensure we are positioned to host local, national and international competitions in an environment that would recruit and retains the best athletes.”
The team will play its first game on Wednesday 26th August 2015.