Image Credit: [University of Leeds Futsal]

The University of Leeds Futsal team win the Northern 2A League and remain undefeated

Leeds were crowned league champions last Sunday, clinching promotion after the final set of BUCS fixtures came to a close. The University of Leeds defeated Leeds Beckett 7-1 and the University of Chester 6-2 to end the season unbeaten, with 9 wins and 1 draw, and a goal difference of +52.

The season got off to a great start in September with Varsity, as Leeds ended Beckett’s back-to-back dominance in the fixture with a historic 8-5 victory. The result also showed early signs of the group’s potential heading into the league campaign.

Leeds Beckett 5 – Leeds University 8

Outstanding performance from the squad today. Marks the first ever Varsity win for Futsal. #LeedsVarsity#Futsal #MakingHistory pic.twitter.com/lqHevv0vly

— Uni of Leeds Futsal (@LeedsUniFutsal) September 30, 2018

Building on Varsity success, Leeds hit the ground running in the league in October. Sizeable victories over Manchester Metropolitan and Edge Hill, 7-0 and 11-3 respectively, owed much to the team’s training and preparation.

Throughout the season, Leeds would often come up against a diamond formation, with a pivot at the top of the diamond; in order to counter this, the team would adopt a high press and alternate between a 2-2 and 4-0 formation, creating space through constant movement and rotation, forcing the opposition to rush their play and forfeit possession quickly. This game-plan bred success and Leeds would go on to defeat every team in the league.

The only blemish on the season came at the hands of Sunderland in the Conference Cup, as Sunderland beat Leeds 5-4 in a tightly-contested last 16 match-up, with their winning goal coming in the last few moments of the game.

Back in the league, a 2-2 draw against Bangor in November was followed by a 17-4 thrashing of Chester Warrington, as Leeds maintained their table topping pace despite a disappointing cup exit.

Saturday was a great day for the club, as the boys secured the 2018/19 Northern 2A title with wins against @LBFutsal (2s) and @UoCWazzaFutsal. Onwards and upwards for the boys in green ✅ pic.twitter.com/wPZAvsyhz8

— Uni of Leeds Futsal (@LeedsUniFutsal) February 19, 2019

One of the best performances of the season came in Manchester in early February, where Leeds beat a resolute Edge Hill side 7-0, who were one of the challengers for the league, managing to finish the season in second place.

The season culminated last Sunday at Leeds Beckett, where Leeds were crowned champions after their first game, a 7-1 defeat of Leeds Beckett, improving on the 8-5 victory earlier in the season.

Club President James Storey praised the squad after a fantastic season, “Overall, we are delighted to win the league, especially in the style that we have, with several dominant displays. It shows the hard and invaluable work the coach continues to put in every session. And on a personal level, it is great to progress the club and secure promotion for next year’s squad. Hopefully with support from the university we can use this as an opportunity to continue to build futsal at the University of Leeds”.

He also took the opportunity to thank the league officials, clubs and players involved, who “all demonstrated a great level of respect towards each other throughout the campaign”.

While the season is over, the club have a number of exciting things planned, including an Easter trip to Barcelona to soak up some rays and some futsal knowledge in one of Europe’s premier locations for the sport.

To find out more about the club and the sport, and to potentially get involved, follow them on Twitter: @LeedsUniFutsal