The first England U19’s Futsal Squad was formed in 2018 during which time a talented group of young lions set out to make history in the age group’s debut games on the international stage in a double header fixture vs the Netherlands. The team won back to back games beating the Dutch 4-2 and 3-1. This was a huge step for English Youth Futsal putting the age group on the map and showcasing the strong development pathway created through the National League clubs and the FA’s Regional Talent Centres from which the players were recruited. Link to full report can be found here.
The preparations for the inaugural UEFA U19’s Men’s Futsal Qualifiers continued with an invitation to a four nations tournament in France in August 2018 where England continued their success by beating France in a thrilling 3-2 encounter in at the Montaigu Futsal cup reaching the final of the tournament. The team finished runners up after a heavy defeat and steep learning curve against Spain in the final.
The squad were building cohesion as they flew out to Portugal for their final preparation friendly game vs Portugal showing that they could match the best in Europe with an opening game resulting in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Full report can be found here
The moment had come to embark upon an experience of a lifetime In March 2019 and being directly entered into the Main Round of UEFA’s first U19’s Futsal competition due to the England Senior Team ranking meant the level of opposition compared to that of the pre-liminary round teams was going to be considerably higher however the preparation and experiences the group had gathered along the road to the Euros meant that this England side feared no one.
The Young Futsal Lions were handed a tough group, in what was England’s first experience of the competition, as they were grouped with higher-ranked nations in Croatia, Italy and Slovakia.
And Pete Vallance’s squad got off to a flying start with an impressive 2-1 victory over Italy in their opening game.
After a goal-less first half, the game sprung into life when Jordan Deer fired England ahead only for Italy to level things up through the Italian winger Achilli three minutes later.
But with less than 30 seconds remaining, England capitalised on an Italian error, allowing captain Jared Rand to score the winner rolling the ball home into an empty net as the Italian’s risked playing with a fly GK to score again.
The second game against the hosts didn’t go quite the same way though, as Croatia took an early lead and then scored three after the break, with England unable to convert the chances they created.
In the third and final game with Slovakia, England knew a win would be enough to seal second place but with the game tightly poised going into the final moments, an unfortunate own goal settled this closely contested game in Slovakia’s favour, with both teams neutralising each other tactically.
“It was an incredible learning experience for us in the UEFA U19s Futsal Euros,” said Vallance after the trip.
“Picking up our first victory against Italy in our opening game was a highlight to savor and we knew Croatia playing in their home country would always be a tough game.
“But in tournament Futsal at this level, it’s fine margins and taking chances in those games defines moments.
“The players represented the shirt with ultimate pride and honor throughout every game which was evident for all to see
“We demonstrated some strong performances across the competition to set the bar extremely high for the next group of U19s to compete in the next Euros cycle leaving a lasting legacy.”
Pete Vallance said ‘’It was an immense season of experiences as Head Coach leading the squad through a number of International friendlies and tournaments where by players and staff were learning what it takes to compete on the International stage. The amount of behind the scenes planning and oppositional analysis work was incredible and I was fortunate so have such a strong support staff each adding their expertise towards the unified goal of high performance.
Following an 18-month design process with the FA, in December 2022 England Futsal was launched to ensure access and opportunity for every person and community to enjoy, benefit from & realise their full potential with futsal from participation to performance. As an organisation we now look to the next generation of Young Futsal Futsal Lions to experience the UEFA Futsal U19’s competition, as Sion Kitson and his support staff lead the newly formed U19’s squad to embark upon the mission of qualifying in the preliminary round in Lithuania next week from 17th-22nd January after a very short preparation period.
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