The National Tertiary Futsal Championships are an annual competition bringing together the best futsal talent at a tertiary level from around the country. The 2025 edition will be hosted at Palmerston North's Central Energy Trust Arena from 26-28 July.

Friends of Football writer and NZ Futsal commentator Warren Olson caught up with University of Canterbury's Liv Deane and reigning men's champion Harry Lamont from Victoria University to get their thoughts ahead of the competition kicking off in Palmerston North this weekend.
 

Liv Deane, University of Canterbury Women's

Q. Another trip to Palmerston North for the Tertiary Futsal Champs, is it a competition you look forward to? I see you have Shingo (Ford Futsal Ferns Assistant Coach) as coach this year, which tells me you girls are keen to go one better than last years loss on pens in the final.

LD. Yes, we’re all really looking forward to it. We've been training together for about eight weeks now so it’ll be great to put everything into practice against strong opposition. Having Shingo as our coach this year has been amazing, his experience and the intensity and structure he brings to each session has really pushed us to lift our standards. With all the hard work that’s gone in from both the team and the staff, we’re all in it to win it.

Q. You also play football as a striker at the top level,  what would you say is the main difference between Futsal and Football and is there an aspect of your game you have to focus on when switching back to Futsal where perhaps you play in a different position ?

LD. I would say the main difference is definitely speed and intensity, futsal is much faster and more technical. In football, I’m more focused on timing runs to get in behind the defence, whereas in futsal I look to receive to feet more and play quick combinations. When switching back to futsal, I really focus on my first touch and keeping my head up as the game moves so quickly. I’ve definitely noticed that my futsal experience has improved my overall football game too, especially in tight spaces and decision-making under pressure.

Q. It was a closely fought championship last year when you went down narrowly to Auckland in the final. Being a three day comp the depth of a squad can be a key factor in the finals,  are there many new faces in the side and how do you think this year’s team shapes up in comparison to last years ?

LD. I think being able to have more trainings together as a team has helped us gel even better, while also making and it easier for the new faces in the squad to slot in. The overall depth of the team is definitely one of our strengths. There’s a balance of experience with Super-League players like Sam Whyte, Olivia Hooper, Saskia Pelham and myself alongside the fresh energy that some really talented new players have brought in.

Q. You were a part of this season’s Ford Futsal Superleague squad for Canterbury, which would have been a great experience. Ford Futsal Fern Jamie Evans from Waikato is one of a number of players who featured in the Ford Futsal Superleague taking part, what other players should we look out for and who do you expect to be your main challengers for the title this year?

LD. The reigning champs Auckland will definitely be the team to beat. We expect them to have a lot of players from the Ford Futsal SuperLeague winning Papakura side, including potentially Ellena Firth, who actually played for UC last year, along with Ella James, Jordana Bremer, and Alosi Bloomfield, all of whom have national team experience. They bring a high level of skill and intensity, so they’ll be a tough challenge.
 

Harry Lamont, Victoria Universtiy Men's

Q. Another National Tertiary Futsal Championship looms, is this a tournament you really look forward to along with the chance to get bragging rights over friends at other Uni’s?

HL.  Definitely! It’s great to compete at the Tertiary Champs, especially against good friends I have at Canterbury and Otago Uni’s. Really looking forward to beating them and being able to remind them about that over the mid-trimester break. Our team as a group has kept the majority of players from last years title winning side, so I’m excited to be playing with my friends at a highly competitive competition in search of another title.

Q. You play football in the Central league as a striker for Upper Hutt city, we know from Chris Wood to Ronaldo many top strikers accredit playing futsal with developing their skills. Would you say it’s also been beneficial for you and how does your role on the futsal court differ in the preparation and skills required to that of football ?

HL.  Playing in the top league in Wellington I’ve found a big step up for me. There’re all ex pros or future professionals as I hope to be someday, so you really have to raise your level to just compete let alone stand out. I moved to Upper Hutt to get game time as a striker where I need to control the ball in the box and find space to shoot. This is similar to the ‘Pivot’ position I usually play in futsal where you always have a defender on your back so it’s important to know when to hold up the ball and when to beat your man. 

Playing Futsal has taught me about the importance of constantly moving on and off the ball, the more you move the harder it is for a defender to track your run or predict what you’re going to do next. As a striker you tend to make set runs in behind and hope a through ball gets to you and your vision or being able to read the play a few passes in advance is also an important attribute for a striker in football, whereas in futsal it all happens so fast you don’t have time for that.

Less people on a futsal court has also taught me a lot about accountability, if you make a mistake or turn over the ball, although you need to try and fix that the game moves so fast you are quickly in the next phase of play so have no time to dwell on it. Translating this to the football field has helped me to move on easier from a missed chance or a poor touch, the mentality that it’s just a mistake and I will get the next one is an important lesson I’ve taken from futsal.

Q. You were a part of this seasons wider Capital Ford Futsal SuperLeague squad which would have been a good experience. There will be a number of players who featured in the Ford Futsal SuperLeague taking part, what players should we look out for and who do you expect to be your main challengers for the title?

HL. The learnings I took from training twice a week at Ford Futsal SuperLeague level was really positive. It’s also good to finally have some proper knowledge about the game as I’m still very new to futsal and especially at the higher level you realise it’s a much different game to football.

I’m not sure who will be the team to beat, clearly all the sides will be very competitive. The game we’re all looking forward to most though is against Canterbury as we have a number of mates there so that will be super competitive. We aren’t really worried about any individual players or teams as we know there will be close and hard-fought games all the way through and of course its those type encounters that make this Futsal competition all the more enjoyable.

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The National Tertiary Futsal Championships can be viewed live on New Zealand Football's YouTube channel.

Make sure to follow UTSNZ and NZ Futsal on social media to keep up to date with the competition.

Article added: Friday 25 July 2025