Warwick Futsal: BUCS, Europe and Beyond

Recruitment was the mantra for Warwick Futsal heading into the new year, a good fresher intake was imperative after losing 2/3 of the team to graduation. The recent successes of promotion and National Trophy win seemed a distant memory going into preseason with the focus being on preparing for a long and gruelling season ahead.

After losing both President Henry Gallagher and 1st team captain Alvaro Torres, the goal was going to be survival, staying in BUCS Prem – the pinnacle of university sport. Instead, after four games played Warwick find themselves top, with 4 wins and an impressive 23-goal difference.

The hardest challenge for freshers is adapting to the many complex rotations and patterns of play

Dylan Patel is a standout performer currently top of the BUCS Futsal goal and assist tally with 22 and 13 respectively. Henry Sehgal is second with 11 goals himself, looking to improve on last season which saw him break the record with 46 goals in a single season. Fears of relegation have long since dissipated and the University of Warwick team is a genuine title contender.

On the 3rd of November Warwick 1s played against Derby 1s in a highly anticipated match. Derby may have lost to Nottingham Trent, but they were coming off the back off an impressive 4-4 draw against Loughborough.

As it so often is on our notoriously small court at the sports and wellbeing hub, it was a tight, physical, and cagey affair with Warwick not being able to build up a considerable lead till just after halftime.

Some set-piece magic, masterminded by new coach Davood, and a Dylan Patel wonder strike from the halfway line saw Warwick begin to pull away. Derby mustered some attempts at a comeback pulling it back to 11-9 but it was not enough, and Warwick saw out the game with a degree less comfort than they would have wanted given their position in the second half.

Warwick’s four victories have all come on our home court

Henryk Sehgal, 1st team captain, puts the form down to the fresher intake within the club. For many, futsal, which is similar to football but has many key tactical and technical differences, is a new sport and the hardest challenge is adapting to the many complex rotations and patterns of play that is thrown at you.

Three freshers this year have made the step up into the first team – Zaki, Dan Melnikov, and Oji. Speaking to Dan about the difficulty in going from being a footballer to a futsal player saw him admit that initially the tactical side was a lot harder than expected but as the term progresses, he is finding this transition easier.

Warwick’s four victories have all come on our home court and the key now will now be about replicating the results away from home. In away fixtures on bigger courts, defensive and attacking transitions will be key, and it is in the next five away games that we will see the making, or breaking, of Warwick’s season.

Warwick’s form has also offered the opportunity for new possibilities: qualification to the European University Championships can be achieved by finishing in the top two of BUCS Premier League.

Europe would undoubtably be a stellar end to the season

On their chances of qualifying for Europe, Dylan Patel told me that: “The belief is definitely there; we think we can beat everyone we come across.” He relishes the chances of being able to compete in Europe and play against some of the best university futsal players in the world.

Europe would undoubtably be a stellar end to the season for futsal but the focus for now remains on the league and the upcoming cup.