Futsal: Top tertiary teams in town

Futsal talent will be showcased at the National Tertiary Futsal Championships at the Trustpower Arena from today. Photo / Supplied

National titles and selection to represent New Zealand at the 2020 FISU World University Futsal Championship are up for grabs at the Tauranga-hosted National Tertiary Futsal Championships.

The fourth edition of the event, which gets under way at the Trustpower Arena today and concludes with finals on Sunday, will feature men's and women's teams from Auckland University of Technology, Massey University, the University of Auckland, the University of Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington.

As well as national titles, the tournament is part of the selection process for the New Zealand teams to compete at the 2020 FISU World University Futsal Championship in Poland. This week's tournament is facilitated by University and Tertiary Sport New Zealand (UTSNZ) in partnership with New Zealand Football.

UTSNZ executive director Sarah Anderson says futsal is a popular sport at university level.

"Futsal is probably our leading national tertiary championship model. It has been a standout event and New Zealand Football have aligned resources really well," Anderson says.

"Futsal is a very athlete, community-driven sport and it has a unique culture that is really strong with university students. There will be a number of national-level futsal players at the event as well."

UTSNZ events and marketing manager Nick Harbidge says the action will be good to watch.

"It is very much a growing sport as these shorter form sports are. It also aligns with what FISU [International University Sports Federation] are doing with their international programme.

"You will see some fast-paced-action this week and it is a more technical, spectator friendly format. It will be a really fiercely contested event and there will also be a live stream with commentators."

Defending men's champions are Victoria University of Wellington and defending women's champs are the University of Auckland.