Futsal U19 hopes for support in their debut

The Gibraltar Futsal U19 head coach Jose Carlos Gil Prieto hopes that fans will support their team as they host both Montenegro and North Macedonia this week.
The young team who will have their first taste of international futsal competitions when they kickoff this Monday at the Tercentenary Sports Hall (TSH) against Montenegro at 7pm will be bidding for a place in the main round of the qualifiers for the UEFA U19 Futsal Euros.
Drawn in the same group as Montenegro and North Macedonia in the preliminary round Gibraltar was fortunate to be accepted as the host for the mini tournament that will be played out at the TSH between this Monday and Wednesday. The Gibraltar Under 19 will open and close the mini tournament providing local futsal fans with an opportunity to watch some exciting matches.

Speaking before this week’s matches Gibraltar U19 Futsal Head Coach, Jose Carlos Gil Prieto, told the Gibraltar FA official website: "We started this whole process in October 2020 and we found that there were a lot of U19 players interested in forming part of this new Gibraltar FA project that would see the creation of our National U19 Futsal team." 
"Covid did impact us and unfortunately halted our progress in December until roughly September, so obviously that wasn’t ideal, however, all things considered I am very happy."
"This is a huge step for Futsal in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar FA has shown great support for Futsal in Gibraltar, you only need to look at the leagues and at the senior squads to see evidence of this."
"When I spoke to the association, they were very quick to give me the green light and they’ve since supported me wholeheartedly, so much so that now we are hosting a UEFA tournament here in Gib and it’s bound to be a beautiful experience."

"I think it’s going to be a beautiful celebration for Gibraltar. We’re sure we’ll get great support, not only the players’ family members but others also. There is a big Futsal family in Gibraltar and a great feeling around us hosting an international Futsal tournament."
"I’m sure this will be reflected in the attendances. We are going to make sure we have fun and I’d implore anyone who can come to the matches to do so."
"In terms of the opposition we know that it’s quite a tough group. In Montenegro and North Macedonia, we are talking about facing two national teams which have experience of already competing at this level."
"We know it’s going to be complicated, but for us, we’re in a moment of development so the important thing is to make sure that our players feel like they have a future in Futsal and that they enjoy it."
Futsal kicks off a month in which the Gibraltar FA has a full schedule with the senior football squad in action in the European qualifiers next week, the Under 21s also in action, as well as the U19s and then the women’s national team later in the month.