FCBARCELONA.CAT

Futsal round-up

Senior B, Juvenil, Cadete, Infantil and Alevín - the five futsal teams have finished their seasons with three league titles, two Catalan cups and two second place finishes.

Senior B: a young team with attitude

The Senior B team finished seventh in a league made up of sixteen teams. It was a good finish for a young team playing in a very tough competition. “Our assessment is good. The team always performed to the maximum, bearing in mind the demands of the league”, said team coach Albert Adamuz. The azulgrana players were never daunted by the quality of Montornès or Andorra nor the hostile atmosphere on some courts, despite their inexperience: “Throughout the season our mistakes were largely down to a lack of experience by our players. We were aware of that when we drew up the squad; that it was very young, with an average age of nineteen”.

The key to getting to where they did was the attitude of the team. This is what Adamuz believes: “I wanted to emphasise three qualities of the squad - humility, sacrifice and good play from the start of the season to the end”.

Another positive thing about the senior team was their contribution to the first team. Several players were close to making the Barça Senseit team. Sepe, Alex, Arnau and Juanito were called up by Marc Carmona to strengthen the first team, be it at training sessions or even in a game. That was proof of the importance of the youth ranks of futsal: “More important than the final league position was the development of young players who can help the team”, said Adamuz.

Juveniles: alive in all competitions

The Juvenil team started the season with a lot of new faces. Up to seven were those brought in to the team by manager Miguel Ángel Palomar, though they did adapt quite quickly: “We knew it would be difficult in the beginning to compete with the other teams in the league but the excellent work by our players, their involvement and the faith they showed throughout the season were decisive in finishing the season with great success on all levels”. Success indeed; the Juvenil team were proclaimed league champions without having lost a single game: “We finished the season unbeaten. No team could beat us and we only had three draws. That clearly shows the level of effort made by the players game after game”.

The Juvenil team also showed their prowess in the Spanish and Catalan championships: “In the Spanish Championships we beat the champions of Galicia and Andalusia, and we lost by the minimum (4-3) in the semi-finals against El Pozo of Murcia. The team reached the final of the Catalan Cup, drawing 1-1with Marfil but eventually losing in the penalty shoot out.

So the season can be looked on positively: “From when we started on 25 August to 17 June, we fulfilled all our objectives. The results, both developmentally and competitively, were excellent and fitted in with the needs of the players. The club has passed on its congratulations to them on their good work and excellent attitude and I, personally, have enjoyed their company, both sporting and personal. I have received a lot more from them than I have been able to give them as a coach”, said a proud Miguel Ángel Palomar.

Cadete: champions with three games to go

The Cadete season was very positive. David Maturama’s players were proclaimed league champions with three games still left to play on a day when they trounced Escuela Pía 11-1. But it wasn’t all good news because the team was knocked out of the Spanish championships in the qualifying round and so were unable to take part in the tournament. They enjoyed more luck in the Catalan Cup however, reaching the final. But their luck ran out in the final and they were beaten 3-2 by Marfil Santa Coloma.

Infantiles: third and cup winners

The Infantile team made a bad start to their league campaign and this was ultimately to prove costly. “The analysis of the season is bittersweet. We lost two of our first six games and we paid for that in only finishing third”, said manager Adriè Fabregat.

This poor start had a lot to do with the fixture list and injuries, or so the Infantile manager believes: “To start the season with all the difficult games away and without some injured players is a pretty tough stumbling block to overcome. We were getting by without playing too well but were still in with a shot for the title up to game 17 when we lost 2-4 at home to Marfil and so lost all hope of winning the league”. Yet there is a positive reading of the season also: “We were the best home team, the highest scoring team and the team that conceded the fewest goals in the whole league”.

Furthermore, the team ended the season with the Catalan Cup: “We won the five cup games and were proclaimed champions after beating Sant Andreu 5-2. Winning a trophy is a good reward for this team because they suffered a lot and they found it difficult to impose their quality”, finished Fabregat.

Alevín: league champions and cup winners

With two games remaining, the Alevín team got the victory that secured them the league title. It was the first title of the season: “In terms of results, it was a very satisfactory campaign. We won two titles, the league and Catalan Cup. At the same time, we finished runners-up in the Spanish Championships, or in other words, we are the second best team in the country. But there are other reasons to be happy: we scored almost 200 goals and only lost two games and drew one in all competitions”, added manager Álex Pérez.

More than the results, the Alevín manager singled out the most fun aspect of the sport. It’s the youngest age category and the smallest and youngest players are involved and the important thing is that they enjoy it: “The children who have played futsal at this level have enjoyed playing and this is fundamental when introducing sport in general. Also, they have acquired good knowledge of the techniques of the sport and some tactical awareness too”.