We caught up with Futsal Ferns head coach Nic Downes at the start of the 2024 Ford Futsal SuperLeague to discuss what he hopes to see this season and the opportunity for players to showcase themselves ahead of qualifiers starting later this year for the first ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.

The Ford Futsal Superleague already started for you as ACFC Head Coach, but how excited are you for the women’s competition?

I’m really looking forward to the competition starting. It’s far too long between seasons and it will be great to see some of the teams back on court this weekend in Tauranga. That first game weekend it is always interesting to see who has put the work in between seasons and looking sharp from the start. Then we’re down to Christchurch next weekend to see the rest of the teams in action. I’m sure everyone is itching to get started.


What are your expectations about the tournament this year?

Last year was the first year of the expanded competition for the women which enabled teams to train more often and play more games over a longer period. We saw an increase in the level of the individual and team play, and this year I’d really like to see teams building on and evolving their tactical game. The more time the coaches have to experiment and refine what they are doing with their teams can only be better for the game. 


Who are the top teams that are candidates to win the women’s Ford Futsal SuperLeague in your opinion?

It’s going to be a really interesting one. Papakura, Canterbury and Capital all have strong squads that boast a number of national team players and they will all want to be there at the end.

Champions Papakura City, coached by Marvin Eakins, have won the past two seasons, and a number of his players also won in 2020, so there is a lot of experience of winning the big games. They have picked up Alosi Bloomfield from Waikato and Jessica Verdon returns. However, they have lost Sophie Williams to Canterbury, Maxine Cooper to Capital, and goalkeeper Danielle Bradley to Evolution (Australia). Papakura will be very well organised defensively and have the players to create attacking opportunities.

Canterbury United Futsal Pride, and coach Ronan Naicker, were the last team outside of Auckland to win the competition in 2019 and will still be feeling the heartbreak of their 2023 semi-final loss after cruising through the league phase. With two of the country’s best goalkeepers and a variety of creative attacking players they will be a tough team to score against, and an exciting team to watch with the ball.

Capital Futsal have always been close competitors, and also a suffered a disappointing semi-final defeat in 2023 after initially taking the lead against eventual winners Papakura City. The co-coached Shingo Ina and Finn Gaupset side will also be well organised defensively and always seem to have a few creative set pieces and attacking surprises to watch out for. They will be pushing hard to make it there year.


You mentioned a few, but who are the standouts players that the fans should keep an eye on?

There are a couple of exciting young players to keep an eye on, Jamie Evans for Waikato constantly creates wow moments while Jordana Bremner (MVP in 2023) is a creative hub for Papakura. Then you’ve got the established players like serial goals and assists machines Sarena Patel and Britney-Lee Nicholson for Canterbury, and Libby Boobyer is so key for Capital’s attacking play.


What team could be the surprise?

Anyone could be the surprise! That’s the great thing about futsal. Knocking Canterbury out last year was the Waikato Power. Not as many big names as the three mentioned above, but last year really showed what a team can achieve with a balance of organisation, unpredictability and great on-court team culture. Expect them to cause chaos on the court again this year.

PN Marist join the league for the first time this year out of the Central region, so there is a little bit of mystery to what we will see from them. The central region is the only other team to win the super league outside of Canterbury and Auckland, and I look forward to seeing what the new club can bring to the league.

Southern United return for their second season and they had a young side last year. That first year can be really tricky, but they had some creativity there and if they can build on that experience, they could also cause some problems.


How important is it to have a competitive SuperLeague in New Zealand for you as head coach of the national team and how important is it the tournament for the players that want to be part of the Futsal Ferns?

It is really important as we head in to the qualifiers this year. The league while expanded is still not long enough, so that limited court time they get has to be in a competitive environment. While we do have a number of players playing overseas now, the SuperLeague is so key for our domestic based players. Last year we had a number of new players come in to the national team program off the back of standout performances in the league. 


In 2025 Oceania will have a spot in the first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup ever. How crucial will be the development of the SuperLeague to get a place in the biggest tournament in the sport?

Ideally, we are always looking for ways to develop the SuperLeague for the game of futsal in general. With the World Cup now in the calendar it of course does become more important for those top tier players that are still playing domestically. More contact time for longer would be the target, but there are challenges and steps to achieve to get there.


Last one and always thinking in the SuperLeague, what would you consider as a good year in the 2024 season?

For me, a close competition with teams that are able to play their own unique style, while also being able to adapt to the opponents in front of them would be a good year. The previous competition of one weekend didn’t really allow for much progress in team building. Now that the coaches have longer with the players, I’d love to really see them progress the level of the league. For the neutral, they probably just want to see and exciting competition with lots of goals!

Article added: Saturday 24 February 2024