FutsalWhites
July 30, 2010
AUCKLAND � Futsal fans in New Zealand will be able to follow the Futsalwhites at the 2010 OFC Futsal Championships in Fiji after Oceania Football Confederation announced plans to stream the Fiji-based tournament live online.
OFC has teamed up with Fiji�s MAI TV to provide extensive coverage of the round-robin competition, which features Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, and will be held at the Vodafone Arena in Suva from August 8 to 14.
All matches will be broadcast free-to-air within the host country and a one-hour highlights show will be sent out to OFC broadcast partners around the region but 2010 marks the first occasion an OFC competition is streamed live online with access available through oceaniafootball.com and maitv.com.fj.
OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says the agreement shows OFC�s ongoing commitment to deliver quality coverage throughout the region.
�Broadcast of the OFC Futsal Championship follows on from unprecedented FIFA World Cup coverage across the Pacific thanks to cooperation between OFC, MAI TV and SBS Australia,� says Nicholas.
Over 70 per cent of those surveyed reported having MAI TV in their homes, which CEO Richard Broadbridge believes is an impressive figure for a TV station in just its third year of operation.
MAI TV CEO Richard Broadbridge says the fast paced nature of futsal makes for great television viewing and that the online streaming was a key focus of the company�s expansion plans.
�We recognise the need to deliver content direct to consumers so we�ve developed the technology to do just that. Web streaming will be an essential part of our futsal coverage and we�re delighted to be working with OFC on this project,� says Broadbridge.
Further details of broadcast times and online streaming will be announced by OFC prior to the championship.
What other New Zealand teams play in Royal Blue as a 1st or 2nd strip?
What happened to the White shirts and Black shorts I've seen in photos when they went to play in China?
Oops the Solomons just equalised.
i think solomons are in control atm
i think solomons are in control atm
looks like we could be on for the upset
http://mai.com.fj/futsal/
but we got 1 back, now only 6-4
This match-up should be the highlight of the day's action. Vanuatu are undefeated and have had no trouble finding the back of the net, scoring seven in their opener against Tuvalu and five yesterday against New Caledonia. New Zealand began their campaign last night - they had the bye on day one - by losing 8-4 to Solomon Islands but will be encouraged by their performance. They actually led the defending champions 3-2 at the break and only let the game slip when their tired legs couldn't cope with the class of the Kurukuru in the second spell. Big striker Miroslav Malivuk scored a hat-trick against the Solomons and his mixture of skill and physical presence will be a real handful for the Vanuatu defence. But Vanuatu have plenty of talent themselves and possess two players, Ben Hungai and Jack Vira Ala, who have found their range quickly in front of goal. Hungai hit a hat-trick on the opening day while Vira Ala notched a brace in the 5-4 win over New Caledonia last night. Captain Louis Dominique is also in fine form and has been at the centre of most of his side's attacks. But they will struggle to keep their high-scoring going against a Futsal Whites defence well-marshalled by skipper Marvin Eakins. This one is too close to call and both sides will fancy their chances of winning it.
Solomon Islands will have a bye today.
Upcoming matches:
10/8/10 4:30pm New Caledonia vs Tahiti
10/8/10 6:30pm Vanuatu vs New Zealand
10/8/10 8:30pm Tuvalu vs Fiji
when s the next game?!?!? any website showing highlights?