Grant Campbell says representing Scotland in the UEFA Champions League is the latest step on Aberdeen Futsal Academy’s remarkable journey.
The side from the Granite City are in Austria this week in European action after winning the Scottish Futsal Super League at their first attempt in April.
Aberdeen will take on AEL Limassol of Cyprus on Wednesday, Austrian host club Linz on Thursday and Greek side AEK Athens on Saturday in Group F in the preliminary round of the Champions League. The group winners progress to the next phase.
Campbell, who played for Wick Academy, Huntly, Cove Rangers and Fraserburgh in the Breedon Highland League, founded Aberdeen Futsal Academy in October 2022.
With no organised futsal in the north-east he set-up a regional league in Aberdeen which started in January 2023 and was won by his team, which propelled them into the Scottish top flight.
Futsal is popular in Europe with football clubs like Barcelona, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Anderlecht all having futsal teams and Campbell is looking forward to competing on the European stage.
Who’s involved?
His squad includes Highland League stalwarts like Alan Redford, David Booth, Jamie Lennox, Chris Angus, Stewart Gray and Richard Macadie as well as current Junior players Callum Dunbar, Richie Petrie, Willie Mathers and Arran Christie.
Campbell said: “If you go back 18 months we hadn’t played a game and now we’re catapulted into the Champions League.
“The whole idea with starting the club and the regional league is to give anyone in Aberdeen or the north-east who wants to play futsal a starting point.
“I find it bizarre that kids in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth and other places are playing futsal a couple of times but not in Aberdeen.
“From where we were 18 months ago it’s been a big transformation to have got to this point.
“Our goal is to try to grow futsal in the north-east of Scotland and being involved in this can only be a positive. We need to learn as many lessons about the game as possible.
“There’s no expectation on us, but we’ve assembled a group of players with thousands of appearances between them in semi-professional football.
“It’s about taking the same qualities across to futsal in terms of organisation, communication, tenacity and will to win and we’ll see where that takes us.
“It’s going to be tough, but doesn’t mean we can’t compete. I saw it written in the Austrian press last week that ‘if the unknown Scottish team could get a point it would be a sensation.’
“That’s fuel for us.”
What is Futsal?
- Futsal is the Fifa accredited version of five-a-side football. It is played with a size four reduced bounce ball.
- Matches are 40 minutes long with a timekeeper stopping the clock whenever the whistle blows.
- Futsal squads consist of 14 players with rolling subs allowed throughout a game.
- When the ball crosses the touchline or hits the roof play resumes with a kick-in, but goalkeepers must throw the ball out rather than kick it.
- If a team commits five fouls in a half every subsequent foul results in their opponents having a free shot from the second penalty mark 10 metres out.
The Press and Journal is in Austria with Aberdeen Futsal Academy and will be bringing you exclusive content in print and online about their Champions League campaign.
Conversation