International players after one season

KATE GUDSELL/Timaru Herald

KICKIN' IT: Indoor soccer players Patrick Hill, Tymon Bernard, Brett Clifford and James Blatherwick will represent New Zealand in Australia.

Relevant offers

Local

Bat-first gamble pays off Black Caviar eclipses Phar Lap's win streak South Canterbury secure home semifinal Otago fight back for last-gasp draw Injured driver 'mint, mate' Racing trophies caught up in quake Your Sport West End overcome Waimate women Ellis and Darling win finals Lawyer at ease with cricket's appeal

Four Timaru teens will represent New Zealand in the Futsal indoor soccer championships in Sydney next year.

Timaru Boys High students James Blatherwick, Brett Clifford and Patrick Hill, and Tymon Bernard from Mountainview High will take part in the trans-Tasman event in which New Zealand will pitch themselves against Australian state and club teams in two sets of championships.

The group will be part of a team of about 50 New Zealand players that make up male and female teams in the game which claims to be the fastest growing sporting activity in Australasia.

"Every season we're gaining more players and getting really competitive against the Aussies which obviously they don't like," said Futsal Vikings New Zealand tours and tournament co-ordinator Rebecca Banfield.

Players can expect up to three games a day in the week-long championship of the fast-paced hardcourt game. Played on a basketball court it has no throw-ins or slide-tackles and according to Ms Banfield, "no one can hide".

Futsal is a game of 18 minute halves and five aside teams, an indoor scaled-down version of soccer, the boys saying it was to soccer what touch rugby was to rugby.

The players were amazed they had been selected to represent New Zealand in a sport that had got off the ground in Timaru in only October last year, even Hill's father couldn't believe it.

"Dad thought it was a joke. Dad actually rang the lady up to see if it was a hoax."

They believed taking part in the Timaru league meant they were given more of an opportunity with more game time than they would have received elsewhere.

"It's good playing here because you get more of a chance to shine in a small town," said Clifford who was one of the players to initiate his own league team.

Timaru Futsal regional development officer Russell King described himself as "tickled pink" at the prospect of the four local boys going to Sydney, despite the league having got off the ground only ten months ago.

The players will fly to Sydney in January for the week-long competition which will decide the Australasian club and state champions.

- © Fairfax NZ News