League fixtures announced
Bristol City Futsal Club will kick off their league campaign against last year’s Midlands Division 1 champions Oxford City. The away fixture which will be held on Sunday September 14th will be an exciting proposition and an early test for the newly formed Bristol City side.
Head coach Karl Lines said “We’re looking forward to getting our league campaign started. We’ve got some talented international players on board, we’ve started work on creating “the Bristol way” which is our blueprint for success on and off the court and we can’t wait to get going and start putting plans into action.”
The first chance for supporters to see the Bristol City futsal stars in action will be at Wellsway Sports Centre when they host their final pre-season friendly on Sunday, September 7th at 1pm.
Watch this space for details of this exciting launch!
Full fixture list
September 14th - Oxford City (A)
September 21st - Birmingham (A)
September 28th - Birmingham Tigers (A)
October 12th - Gloucester Revolution (H)
October 19th - Reading (H)
November 2nd - Gloucester University (A)
November 9th - Loughborough Students (H)
November 16th - Loughborough Students (A)
December 7th - Oxford City (H)
December 15th - Birmingham (H)
January 4th - Birmingham Tigers (H)
February 1st - Reading (A)
February 8th - Gloucester Revolution (A)
February 15th - Gloucester University (H)
Further fixtures will be released when the Regional League is complete and the Super League line ups are confirmed.
Head Coach Appointed
Bristol City Futsal Club are delighted to announce that Karl Lines will be the Head Coach for the 2014/15 season.
Lines has built his reputation through football, first coaching within youth academies at Plymouth Argyle and Newcastle United before taking the Men’s English Colleges U19 National team.
He has a range of experience both in England and abroad and comes into the job with a fresh approach towards coaching futsal and leading elite teams.
Lines said, “It’s an exciting time for Bristol City Futsal Club, and I’m thrilled and honoured to take on the role. As the only professional football club to be in the FA National Futsal League we’ll be trailblazing in many respects.”
“We’ll build a strong team around top class players, all who have the ability to entertain our supporters and be great role models for younger fans. The long term aim is to create a winning side whilst developing the next generation of local young Bristol talent for the first team. I’m looking forward to getting underway.”
Lines’s first job will be to convince a number of senior internationals to sign for the club, ahead of interest from other clubs.
He will then need to use the pre-season period to decide if any of the open trialists are going to feature in his plans.
Fans can expect the first team squad to be announced ahead of the opening league fixture on September 14th.
Bristol City Launch Futsal Club
Bristol City FC will be the only professional football club to have a presence in the FA National Futsal League for the 2014/15 season.
The club’s Community Trust has worked closely with the University of Bath Futsal Club to rename the side Bristol City Futsal Club, which will compete in the FA National Futsal League Midlands Division One.
The move will enable the club to develop its youth setup, with the Trust already running four teams at Under-18 level in the Football League Trust Futsal League – creating a pathway for aspiring young players.
Ian Parkes, Trust education manager and England Futsal international, said: “Bristol City Community Trust is delighted to drive forward the development of the newly-named Bristol City Futsal Club.
“To become the only professional football club playing in the National Futsal League is something we are very proud of.
“We are particularly excited about futsal’s potential in this country and we want to be at the forefront of its development.”
He added: “At the moment our young players don’t have anywhere to go after completing their courses with the Community Trust. With the formation of Bristol City Futsal Club, we’re now giving young futsal players a chance to progress in the game.”
Community Trust director Amy Kington said: "We are committed to developing better players, athletes, learners and people!
"Futsal is a great flavour of football and I am delighted that the city of Bristol now has a team competing at the highest level. It is a fantastic spectator sport and for those unfamiliar with the game I would urge you to come and watch."
The 2014/15 season begins in September and runs through to June 2015.
