The inaugural season of the F-League could lead to a resurgence of Australian futsal, according to Galaxy FC president Armando Cacace.
He is hopeful that his young side can become “the new guardians of the galaxy” in Queensland futsal.
Galaxy, who were one of two Queensland clubs to play in the old national futsal league, have transitioned from being a recruitment club to a development club.
Many of Galaxy’s past players – including Scott Fenn, James Egeta, Reza Behbahani and Rhys Buick – are now plying their trade for fellow F-League club Gold Coast Force, creating an instant rivalry for the new competition.
“It will be great to see the next generation of Galaxy players up against previous heroes from the club,” said Cacace.
“We’re in a rebuilding phase; I think the average age of our squad is like 19. We’ve got some young kids coming through who are 15, 16.”
Cacace points to the Bordin brothers Ben and Jayden as prime examples.
The pair, who are both under 23, have been with club since they were young teenagers, proudly wearing the Galaxy colours in domestic and international competitions.
“We started off by recruiting men’s players from around Australia, but the kids that we’ve had since they were 10, 12 years old are now playing in our youth and men’s teams,” said Cacace.
“We’ve actually developed our players. We’ve had a core group of kids who we’ve grown up and given these experiences.
“Galaxy is not just results-driven; we’re here to develop players and the longevity of players we’ve had in the club is testament to that.”
Galaxy’s motto is “four clubs, one mission”, reflecting the amalgamation of the Gold Coast Futsal Association, Northern NSW’s Just Futsal, Brisbane Magic Futsal and the Bundaberg Wildcats.
This F-League side will be drawn primarily from Brisbane and the Gold Coast players, although Cacace says the plan is to provide a pathway for players from Northern NSW and Bundaberg in the future.
“Our vision is to be the most successful and most recognised Futsal club in Australia,” said Cacace.
“We intend to market our brand to the wider community and engage all demographics and cultures within those communities and to expose them to futsal.
“Hopefully the F-League in Queensland will provide a pathway for players to a national team and lead to a resurgence of futsal in Australia.”