A BELLEEK man has been praised for his commitment to promoting the sport of fustal at a recent IFA Grassroots Awards ceremony.
David Alonso has been one of the driving forces behind the success of Omagh Futsal Club, which not only boasts one of the top men’s teams in the NIFF Super League, but also a senior women’s team and thriving academies for youngsters, which take place across Tyrone and Fermanagh on a weekly basis.
And it’s on the back of the Belleek-based coach’s unrelenting efforts to grow the game in the west of the province and beyond, that he became the first ever recipient of the accolade.
“It was nice to see futsal at the Grassroots Awards for the first time,” the Spaniard beamed.
“And it was nice to get a little bit more futsal involved, which is the way it should be in Northern Ireland.
“It was good for myself as well, to get the [positive] feedback and listen, I know things are going the best they can but they can be better.
“But it’s good that people are seeing futsal from our side, that it’s important, and [the acknowledgement of the hard work] helps you to keep going, it gives you a little bit more energy and more will to keep going.”
The Omagh club’s academies resumed this week in Enniskillen and Omagh and enrolment remains open for those interested in getting involved in a sport that will help them as football players too.
“The kids come to us, their confidence improves, their skills improve and when that happens, I notice a lot of the kids go back to the football clubs, who want them which for me is a win because it’s about developing all the kids and they do better,” Alonso added.
Alongside the two main academies, Alonso also holds sessions in Derrygonnelly and he’s hoping to launch coaching sessions in Garrison before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the women’s team, which features a large number of the hugely successful Lisbellaw United ladies team, will start their latest season soon and Alonso is on the look out for new players there too.
“These girls have five promotions [between soccer and futsal] in four years,” he beamed. “At the moment we are building up with the girls we have from the past and new players, especially young players because I like to have a team with plenty of young players.
“It’s about building up and having a team for years to come. We keep going forward, that is the most important thing.”
Anyone interested in getting involved in the sport can contact David and the club via their Social Media Pages on Facebook.