Ahead of the opening matches of the 2016 Series Futsal Australia Cup in Perth today, Series Futsal organisers have confirmed the venues for the 2017 Cups.
Formerly known as the FAFL (Futsal Oz Futsal League), the next SFA Cup will be held at the Thomastown Futsal Oz Stadium (Victoria) in April, with intentions to host the Septembert/October Cup to be played in Adelaide (South Australia).
Furthermore, talks have already begun with a promoter in New South Wales to hold one of the Cups in Sydney in 2018.
Series Futsal and Futsal Oz founder Peter Parthimos says that he is excited to confirm the venues for the 2017 SFA Cups and has been surprised by the level of interest in the tournament.
“Series Futsal is pleased to confirm that the Thomastown Futsal Oz Stadium in northen Melbourne will host the next SFA Cup,” he said.
“We have put a lot of effort into making the Thomastown stadium the home of Victorian futsal. The new grandstand has come up an absolute treat, and there’s even more construction and refinements to come that will see it be the mecca of futsal in Australia.
“We host all of the Series Futsal Victoria competition there – mens, womens and youth leagues – and it will be the ideal setting for the Series Futsal Australia tournament.
“At this stage, our intention is to run the following Cup in Adelaide, South Australia.
“The South Australian teams have always been well represented at the SFA level, after taking this show all the way to Perth, the clubs and management in Adelaide have been desperate for us to play in their backyard.
“There’s still some details to be confirmed, but I can confirm that our intention is to play the September/October tournament in Adelaide.”
Parthimos also expanded on the interest from a News South Wales promoter, keen to host an SFA Cup in 2018.
Despite no NSW teams taking up a place in this weekend’s Cup, there remains a big push for more eastern-state based teams to compete at and host Series Futsal Australia.
“This is the first time that a NSW-based club has not competed at Series Futsal Australia, which is a shame, but understandable, given the extra cost associated with heading to West Australia,” Parthimos said.
“Regardless, I’ve already spoken with a number of interested parties in NSW about not only competing, but hosting an SFA Cup in Sydney in 2018.
“This is very exciting as we see Sydney as the next big expansion platform for our business in the short term.”
The 2016 Series Futsal Australia Cup kicks off this evening with four games, followed by non-stop futsal at the WA State Futsal Centre over the weekend.
CLICK HERE for a full schedule of games.