The University of Malta (UoM) Futsal Club, a project that was initiated by Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) and Malta University Sports Club (MUSC) last November, was officially launched on campus yesterday evening, the 5th of September 2014. Futsal is similar to football, but is typically played indoors with five players on each team.
The UoM Futsal team is composed of sixteen players and is operating in collaboration with Mdina Knights Football Club. The committee and players are all participating on a voluntary basis. The team is made up solely of UoM students, or students who completed their studies within the last two years. This enhances student activism in the field of sport. Furthermore, one can only form part of either the team or the committee, reducing issues that may arise between the two. More than forty applications for committee members, coaches and players were received. The final committee and team were present at yesterday’s launch.
The official launch was introduced by Gilbert Amato Gauci, the president of UoM Knights Futsal Club. Gilbert explained how the club initially launched a social media page on Facebook for promotion. He spoke about the importance of activism and teamwork, and discussed eligibility to form part of the team.
Apart from mandatory training and other preparations, several events have been hosted in order to raise funds for this project and increase unity within the team. This was discussed by Warren Sammut. One such event was "BBQ with UoM Knights’ that was held on the 22nd of July at Golden Bay. Warren also discussed the importance of students within this project. He explained how the logo, designed by Albert Camilleri, depicts this importance.
Other issues discussed during the launch included the aspirations of the committee and team and the need for integration between the latter.
The captain of the team, John Micallef, and the vice-captain, Cleaven Portelli, strive to lead the team and simultaneously unite it. After a successful preseason, the team is currently doing very well, and has recently beaten Swieqi United FC 10-7. However, the club is aware of the difficulty of the season, due to the fact that gelling a team is timely and other clubs have participated in the league for several years, having obtained advantageous experience. The club is still in high spirits!
Whilst wishing the UoM Knights Futsal Club success, The Third Eye would like to thank the committee for having been invited to the event.
