Simran Chand 
16-year-old Rayan Karan
Rookies Tailevu North College experienced Fiji Secondary School Futsal for the first time yesterday at the Fiji FA Vatuwaqa Academy court.
The young boys were visibly having a lot of fun while trying to adjust to and learn the ways of a futsal match.
The boys train on their school ground, which is just a standard grass playing field, and they do not have a proper experienced coach.
The squad is trained by school teachers, and sometimes district players assist the boys in training and teach them the rules of the match.
16-year-old Rayan Karan spoke about the competition, saying it was tough going against schools like Nakasi High School and Vunimono High School.
“This is the first time for me and most of the boys to play futsal. Although we did not have much time to prepare and lacked the required facilities, we gave our best in the tournament, but unfortunately, we could not register any wins or qualify further.”
Karan says Tailevu North has participated in other sports before and is invested in 11-aside soccer, but futsal is something new for the boys, who are experiencing the speed and skills required with five players running back and forth.
He says it is not as challenging physically, as the boys have the strength and speed, but the tactical battle needed in futsal is a new challenge.
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