A Belfast futsal team with a global line-up and a former Irish League striker in its ranks is relishing the prospect of playing UEFA Champions League football for the first time next season.
Sparta Belfast, boasting no fewer than EIGHT different nationalities in their panel, will be in next month’s draw for the preliminary round after completing a domestic double at the weekend.
With the NI Futsal Cup already won, Sparta concluded a triumphant season when they lifted the NI Futsal League title with a 5-3 playoff win over Belfast United.
It was the first time the club - who talked former Irish League title winning striker Chris Morgan out of retirement earlier in the season - has won the domestic championship.
Morgan, now 43 and an Irish League pundit with BBC Northern Ireland, loved being part of a dressing room again.
“The futsal games are on a Sunday and the BBC’s Irish League Show is recorded on a Sunday, so it was a challenge at first to commit, but I’m glad I did,” he said.
“I really enjoyed being part of a team again and that was a big thing for me, particularly because there is such an international flavour to the team.
“I actually wish I’d found futsal 10 years ago and while it’s always challenging playing against guys 20 years younger than you, hopefully my experience helped the team.”
Sparta coach Darius Dielininkaitis, who hails from Lithuania, can also call upon players from Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.
Talented Spanish player Luis Marcote Ferrio is on the radar of a number of Danske Bank Premiership clubs.
Sparta secretary Simon Kelly said: “It’s a big deal for the club to secure Champions League football for the first time and everyone is looking forward to the draw on July 4.
“We will enter the preliminary round of the competition and while it will be a challenge pitting ourselves against European opposition, it will also be a terrific experience.”
On beating Belfast United in Sunday’s play-off at the Shankill Leisure Centre, Kelly said: “We finished with the same number of points and the IFA decided to settle the title with a play-off.
“Sparta won 5-3 to lift the league title for the first time and also pick up a domestic double, so it was a massive achievement.”
The Futsal Champions League includes powerhouse clubs like Barcelona, Benfica and last season’s champions Sporting of Portugal.
Crack Spanish outfit Inter Futbal Sala lead the way with Champions League wins, lifting the title five times since the competition’s inception in 2001/02.
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