The highly anticipated 2023 National Futsal Championship kicked-off in Melbourne today, with almost 1000 participants from more than 100 state representative teams beginning their quest for national glory.
Hosted at the Melbourne Sports Centre, Parkville, fixtures took place between 9AM and 9PM across five courts simultaneously, providing a feast of faced-paced five-a-side action for spectators.
In addition to representative teams from VIC, NSW, WA, SA, QLD, TAS and the ACT, international teams from New Zealand and the Solomon Islands have travelled to Melbourne to battle for gold.
Goals were flowing in the AWD Futsal Mixed Division, as NSW Thunder made a statement against NSW Lightning by scoring 21 goals to claim top spot. Football QLD won 13-6 in a highly entertaining match to end the day in second, while Football Victoria are yet to play.
Football Queensland was a class above in Group A of the Under 12 Boys, claiming two wins from two, including an 11-2 rout of South Australia. Football Tasmania and Football SA each got off the mark, while Capital Football and Football NSW Lightning are yet to register a win - although both go into Matchday 2 with a game in hand.
In the Under 12 Boys Group B Gold Fields WA showed a ruthless edge, downing NSW Country 10-2, while Football Victoria also had the perfect start, defeating Football NSW Thunder 3-1.
The Under 13 Boys division is one of the largest, with seven teams in a single group making for an intriguing contest.
Football Victoria and Football NSW set the pace, each winning both of their opening games with goal differences of 18 respectively. Football Victoria ended the day on top due to having scored 25 goals compared to Football NSW's 21. Football QLD also made an early statement by winning both games, including a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Football SA.
In the Under 13 Girls Football Queensland leads allcomers in Group A, after securing a nail-biting 5-6 win over Capital Football. Football NSW Thunder are sitting in second place following another thriller, defeating Football SA 5-4.
The Thunder also claimed bragging rights over their cross-town rivals NSW Country, 4-1 while Football Victoria and Gold Fields WA also couldn't be split as they recorded a 3-3 draw.
NSW Thunder also enjoyed a perfect start in the Under 14 Boys Group A division. An 8-2 win over Football SA and 5-1 defeat of Goldfields, WA saw them claim top spot. Gold Fields did respond in style however, defeating Football Tasmania 7-2. Football Queensland played a game less than their rivals, but won their only match 2-1 to sit in third spot.
In Group B of the Under 14 Boys Capital Football reigned supreme, defeating NSW Country 9-0 to seize top spot. In the group's only other game Football Victoria downed NSW Lightning 6-5 in a classic.
The Under 15 Girls Group A started with a draw between Gold Fields WA and Capital Football in a tight 1-1 contest. NSW Thunder ended the day on top following a 3-0 win against Football Queensland.
Group B was similarly tight with Football SA defeating Football Victoria 4-3, while NSW Country prevailed over NSW Lightning by the same margin. If Day 1 was anything to go by, this might be one of the groups to watch.
Football Victoria is the leading the way in the Under 15 Boys with two wins from two, including a strong 5-1 performance against Football NSW and a tough 5-3 victory over Football QLD. QLD responded in style, downing Football SA 3-1.
Football QLD showed early dominance in the Under 16 Boys competition, with an 8-0 thumping over Football Victoria followed by a 7-4 win against NSW Country.
In the Boy's Youth division Gold Fields, WA and Football QLD share top spot after earning tough 4-3 wins against Capital Football and Football Victoria respectively.
In what might have been the day's tightest group, the Under 17 Girls Group A ended with Football NSW and Capital Football sharing top spot. The Thunder defeated Football QLD 2-1 and Capital took down Football SA by the same margin in two thrilling contests.
NSW Lightning took control of Group B with a 4-0 victory over Gold Fields, while Football Victoria and NSW Country played out a 1-1 draw.
In the Open Men's Division Football Victoria ended the day with a perfect record, defeating NSW Lightning 5-0 before taking the spoils in an arm-wrestle against Goldfields WA, winning 5-3. NSW Thunder claimed second spot defeating Football QLD 7-3.
Another massive day of Futsal action is set to commence on Tuesday, as Day 2 of the National Futsal Championships kicks-off at 9AM.
The tournament is being live streamed on KommunityTV, to learn how to tune in, visit the link here.
To view the Day One fixtures and results click here.
