The very successful Futsal Festival for schools held last year will again feature in the coming weeks as Phase Two of the event is due to be held next week at the Centenary Stadium between Monday 1st to Thursday 4th March.

The Festival, organised by the MFA in conjunction with the Sports Promotion Unit (SPU) within the Secretariat for Youth and Sport and the collaboration of the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport (KMS), has again had a very good representation from Primary and Secondary Schools, with 37 from the Primary sector and 10 from the Secondary.

As an innovation the Futsal national team players and the MFA regional coaches will be officiating in all matches, while the Futsal national team coach Vic Hermans will be present throughout the festival to oversee the running of the event and assess the level of the youngsters in Malta.

This year, the age brackets varied from Year 5 to Year 6 (Under-10s and Under-11s) from 37 schools in the Primary sector to 14 and 15 year-olds in the Secondary sector. The festival is also open for girls who will be participating in the Primary Schools section on a mixed basis with the boys, and separately in the Under-12/13 and Under-14/15 age categories. Private schools will also have a representation in the Boys Under-12 and Under-13 age-groups.

In the second phase, each participating school will play with their best team seeded from phase one, whereby the winning school will emerge from each college.

The MFA would like to thank General Soft Drinks (GSD) for their role in providing Kristal Water for all the participants.

It is worth mentioning that this school-based festival, the brainchild of the MFA and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Culture, is aimed at activating enthusiasm and a love for sport amongst youngsters within an environment of fun and enjoyment.

Photo: Copyright © domenic aquilina