Our Youth Futsal Teams Return to NZ Champs

This marks the club’s fifth consecutive appearance at the country’s premier youth futsal event, and the stakes are high. Last year, Auckland City’s U15 boys and U19 girls claimed national titles, while the U19 boys secured silver and the U15 girls were cruelly undone by a goalkeeper injury. The challenge now is to build on that proud record and continue shaping the next generation of futsal talent.

Since 2021, Auckland City FC has partnered with Northern Region Football to showcase the best youth futsal players from across the region. The collaboration has already borne fruit, with multiple titles and a reputation for producing players who seamlessly transition into senior Super League squads.

As Futsal White Dylan Manickum put it: “A key focus for us at these tournaments is not only compete on the court, but also to do it in a way where the players learn, enjoy and express themselves in a futsal-specific way. It is important for us to teach the detail of futsal and create players who can ultimately transition into Super League and beyond.”

• U15 Boys: Head coach Victor Yim returns after missing 2024 to lead a young and new look squad. Former player Bella Cranefield joins the coaching staff, bringing first-hand tournament experience.
• U15 Girls: Kyaw Mya returns to the coaching staff with ever present assistant coach Hannah Milligan. With six returning players from 2024 the ladies will be looking to improve on their difficult previous tournament run.
• U17 Boys: A team with pedigree — Adam Bolland has already featured and scored in the senior Super League. Coached by Dylan Manickum and assisted by Mike Antamanov, the squad will be aiming to follow on from their U15 success.
• U17 Girls: Head coach Sean McLeod and assistant Nic Downes oversee a mix of experienced and new players in age group the club historically performs well in.

The Youth Futsal Championships are more than just medals. They are a proving ground where young players sharpen their tactical nous, test themselves against the best in the country, and stake their claim for future honours. For Auckland City FC, the tournament is a chance to reinforce its reputation for developing specialised futsal players, while offering a platform to shine on the national stage.

“We are proud of our youth futsal program. We saw Sydney Sparks make her international debut this year after representing ACFC x NRF on multiple occasions from U15 through to U19 and then moving into the Papakura Super League team. Adam Bolland has been training futsal with us for couple of years now and made his senior Super League debut for the club earlier in the year at 15. We are excited to see who performs well this year” – Nic Downes said of the program.

With four teams, a coaching staff stacked with international and Super League experience, and a history of success, Auckland City FC arrives in Wellington with ambition. The Junior Navy Blues have titles to defend, reputations to uphold, and futures to shape.

You can check at the Draws and Result by clicking HERE

Competition Details
NZ National Youth Futsal Championship
Monday 15 December – Thursday 18 December
Ākau Tangi Sports Centre
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington

U15 BOYS: Billy Barnes, Cameron Barrett, Dante Lam, Ethan Alward, George Kirk-Smith, Isaac Fraser, Kaveesh Kumar, Lucas Monteiro, Ryan Fletcher, Tom Kilpatrick
HEAD COACH: Victor YIM
ASSISTANT COACH: Bella CRANEFIELD

U15 GIRLS:Abi van der Meijden, Fleur Findlay, Jessica Ellis, Lauren Billings, Lucie Sudoma, Lucy Materi, Miller O’Neill, Olivia Brazier, Ruby Abbott, Skye Murdoch
HEAD COACH: Kyaw MYA
ASSISTANT COACH: Hannah MILLIGAN

U17 BOYS: Adam Bolland, Ayush Naidu, Hugo Copley, Joshua Da Costa, Kousei Chow, Liam Fraser, Oliver Thompson, Peter Ragon, Philip Zhang, Terrance Cheung
HEAD COACH: Dylan MANICKUM
ASSISTANT COACH: Mike ANTAMANOV

U17 GIRLS: Anika Naidu, Emilia De Pledge, Holly Webster, Lottie Kirkman, Lucia White, Madeleine Dwyer, Miranda Flexman, Olive Cate, Sian Christie, Tessa Fletcher
HEAD COACH: Sean MCLEOD
ASSISTANT COACH: Nic DOWNES

Ends