Editor's Note: We received an e-mail from Mark Oxer, the coach at Olds College in Canada. Oxer wrote us to tell us about a unique college futsal league in Alberta and how he can offer prospective students scholarships to play the sport. We responded, and Coach Oxer was kind enough to answer several questions for the newsletter.
Hello,
My name is Mark Oxer, I coach futsal in Alberta, Canada. I am a college coach and we play futsal in the only college league in the country. I coach both the men's and women's teams and would like to let people know that I can offer players the opportunity to play futsal at a highly competitive level and get a scholarship for their education. We play futsal during the
winter months, and outdoor from August to November.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to working together,
Mark Oxer
Men's and Women's Soccer/Futsal Head Coach
Olds College Broncos
My name is Mark Oxer, I coach futsal in Alberta, Canada. I am a college coach and we play futsal in the only college league in the country. I coach both the men's and women's teams and would like to let people know that I can offer players the opportunity to play futsal at a highly competitive level and get a scholarship for their education. We play futsal during the
winter months, and outdoor from August to November.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to working together,
Mark Oxer
Men's and Women's Soccer/Futsal Head Coach
Olds College Broncos
Q: Do both the Olds College men and women play futsal?
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| Mark Oxer, Olds College futsal coach |
A: Yes both men and women play futsal in our league. The league runs during the second semester of the collegiate year with a championship weekend tournament for each gender. However we are training with futsal with our teams during first semester, and have pre-season tournaments. We play futsal as it allows our athletes to compete in collegiate sport year round, and we believe that the sport of futsal has many great things to offer both from an athlete and fan perspective.
Q: How many players do you have on your teams? All players from Canada or are there U.S. players?
Q: How many players do you have on your teams? All players from Canada or are there U.S. players?
A: Right now most of our players are Canadian, we do also have some Mexican players on our teams. As of now, we do not have any USA players, but I would like to change that.
We play with regular FIFA rules as such; a maximum of twelve
players may be dressed and listed on the game sheet for both home and visiting teams. As a college we can have more players, but for each game we are only able to dress 12.
Q: Which other colleges are in your league and what's the league called?
We play with regular FIFA rules as such; a maximum of twelve
players may be dressed and listed on the game sheet for both home and visiting teams. As a college we can have more players, but for each game we are only able to dress 12.
Q: Which other colleges are in your league and what's the league called?
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| A league game in the ACAC. |
A: The league we play in is called the Alberta Colleges Athletics
Conference (ACAC), which is part of the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA, similar to the NCAA). Right now the ACAC is the only conference in Canada that plays the sport. The other colleges in our conference are; Medicine Hat, Keyano, Lakeland, Lethbridge and Mount Royal (however Mount Royal is moving to a different conference next year). Other
teams in our conference such as Grande Prairie have participated in tournament games, but have not yet fully committed to league play. In addition to this there are a number of smaller schools that play the sport and have their own local leagues, and we play exhibition and pre-season tournament games against these schools as well. They are; Prairie Bible Institute, Ambrose University, and Kings University (Kings University, does have some teams at the ACAC level, and futsal will likely be another in the near future).
Q: What are some of the benefits of futsal? Why did you choose to have your teams participate in the college league?
Conference (ACAC), which is part of the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA, similar to the NCAA). Right now the ACAC is the only conference in Canada that plays the sport. The other colleges in our conference are; Medicine Hat, Keyano, Lakeland, Lethbridge and Mount Royal (however Mount Royal is moving to a different conference next year). Other
teams in our conference such as Grande Prairie have participated in tournament games, but have not yet fully committed to league play. In addition to this there are a number of smaller schools that play the sport and have their own local leagues, and we play exhibition and pre-season tournament games against these schools as well. They are; Prairie Bible Institute, Ambrose University, and Kings University (Kings University, does have some teams at the ACAC level, and futsal will likely be another in the near future).
Q: What are some of the benefits of futsal? Why did you choose to have your teams participate in the college league?
A: I believe that futsal is a key ingredient in developing a total footballer. With limited space, an out of bounds and constant opponent pressure, improved ball control skills and technique are required. These skills and techniques are not only exciting to watch, but also translate directly into the 11v11 game. Furthermore, with limited space, constant opponent pressure and a four-second restart rule, players learn to play and think fast, which aids in teaching players to be creative and make decisions.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your training techniques, coaching philosophy etc.?
A: As part of developing creative players that are capable of making decisions and executing them under pressure, I also use "street soccer" as part of my teams' training. We also incorporate music into our training which helps to
motivate athletes as well as facilitates the idea of rhythm. Moreover, the 1v1 skills that a player develops as a street soccer player are priceless in that in their abilities not only make them unpredictable as attackers, but also through skills they are able to create time and space both of which
come at a premium on a futsal court.
motivate athletes as well as facilitates the idea of rhythm. Moreover, the 1v1 skills that a player develops as a street soccer player are priceless in that in their abilities not only make them unpredictable as attackers, but also through skills they are able to create time and space both of which
come at a premium on a futsal court.
In addition to this, street soccer moves are incredibly entertaining, and exciting when executed in game situations. I work closely with Darren Laver from the International Street Soccer Association and believe that what his street soccer offers greatly enhances the game of futsal. Olds College, like many other USA and Canadian Colleges will be hosting camps, clinics, and academies. However we are different in that we will feature futsal and street soccer training as part of these.
You can reach Coach Oxer at moxer@hotmail.com. The college's Web site and athletics site are www.oldscollege.ca and www.gobroncos.ca. Olds College is in central Alberta, between Calgary and Edmonton.
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