Spring 2009 Champions

Eight teams clashed and fought for the Spring 2009 Champions Cup Tournament on Saturday 28th November and one emerged victorious. The victory was hard won, as the tournament was the most competitive to date and all teams were pushed to their limits.

The 8 teams were divided into two groups of four in the qualifying round. The tournament organizers attempted to create two equally balanced group with the information they had available about each team. Winter 2009 winners, The Replacements, and runners-up, Camion Lichien, were purposely placed in different groups as number 1 and 2 seeds respectively.

Group 1 was composed of:

The Replacements

Tombeau Bay FC

Lekip Gros Ventre (LGV)

Pression FC

Group 2 was made up of:

Camion Lichien

Club Maurice Underdogs

Hockey Pitch FC

Nothing to Lose

The qualifying round proved to be tougher competition than anticipated, particularly in Group 2. The ladder and results for the group matches are as follows.


Qualifying Round - Group 1
In Group 1, The Replacements once again cruised to first position. Notably, they won all of their matches and goal-keeper James Bush kept a clean sheet for the entire group stage. After the group stage matches, Tombeau Bay FC and Pression FC were even in second place. Penalty shoot-outs had to be employed to separate the two teams. Pression FC goal-keeper and captain Hughes Wong put his teams through to the semi-final by saving 3 penalties whilst Tombeau Bay FC goal-keeper Anthony Koon managed to save only one shot. Lekip Gros Ventre was the weakest team in the group as they did not win any of their matches and failed to put any point on the scoreboard.

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	The Replacements	3	3	0	0	8	0	8	9
2	Pression FC	3	1	1	1	1	3	-2	4
3	Tombeau Bay FC	3	1	1	1	1	3	-2	4
4	Lekip Gros Ventre	3	0	0	3	0	4	-4	0

Round #	Game #	Match Details	Scores
1	1	The Replacements def. Pression FC	3 - 0
1	2	Tombeau Bay FC def. Lekip Gros Ventre	1 - 0
2	1	The Replacements def. Lekip Gros Ventre	2 - 0
2	2	Pression FC drew Tombeau Bay FC	0 - 0
3	1	The Replacements def. Tombeau Bay FC	3 - 0
3	2	Pression FC def. Lekip Gros Ventre	1 - 0

Qualifying Round - Group 2
In Group 2, newcomers Hockey Pitch FC proved to be a stronger side than expected and made their way to first place. In a surprise turn of events, Camion Lichien were able to defeat rivals Club Maurice Underdogs and manouvered themselves into second place just above them. Nothing to Lose found themselves at the bottom of the group with no victories.

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Hockey Pitch FC	3	2	1	0	13	7	6	7
2	Camion Lichien	3	2	0	1	12	6	6	6
3	Club Maurice Underdogs	3	1	1	1	8	8	0	4
4	Nothing to Lose	3	0	0	3	4	16	-12	0

Round #	Game #	Match Details	Scores
1	1	Hockey Pitch FC def. Camion Lichien	5 - 2
1	2	Club Maurice Underdogs def. Nothing To Lose	6 - 0
2	1	Camion Lichien def. Nothing To Lose	4 - 1
2	2	Hockey Pitch FC drew Club Maurice Underdogs	2 - 2
3	1	Camion Lichien def. Club Maurice Underdogs	6 - 0
3	2	Hockey Pitch FC def. Nothing to Lose	6 - 3

Semi-Finals
The semi-finals saw the 1st ranked team from Group 1, The Replacements, against the 2nd ranked team from Group 2, Camion Lichien. Similarly, the 1st ranked team from Group 2, Hockey Pitch FC, faced the 2nd ranked team from Group 1, Pression FC.

The 1st semi-final was a repeat of the Winter 2009 final with The Replacements battling Camion Lichien. It was a repeat performance also as The Replacements comfortably defeated Camion Lichien 2 - 1. The Replacements goal-keeper James Bush lost his clean sheet against Camion Lichien's David Ip. The 2nd semi-final, Hockey Pitch FC versus Pression FC, proved to be a one-sided affair as Pression FC could not stop the avalanche of goals from Hockey Pitch FC. The match ended with Hockey Pitch FC winning 12 - 0.

Semi-final results:
Semi-Finals #1: The Replacements def. Camion Lichien 2 - 1
Semi-Finals #2: Hockey Pitch FC def. Pression FC 12 - 0


Third Place
Camion Lichien battled against Pression FC for third position. Camion Lichien proved why they were worthy of being finalists last tournament by defeating the newcomers 3 - 1.


Finals
The much anticipated final match between The Replacements and Hockey Pitch FC was every bit climatic and nail-biting as such a match should be. The two teams struggled against each other until the bitter end and kept spectators glued to the match.

The Replacements headed into the finals with their 6-man squad against Hockey Pitch FC's 7-man squad. Amidst rumours of a weakened side with striker Cameron Holmes missing and The Replacements undoubtedly questioning their decision not to bring a 7-th man, The Replacements needed to reassert themselves as champions by defeating the newcomers. Hockey Pitch FC had proven themselves to be a very offensive team scoring 13 goals in the group matches and 12 alone against Pression FC in the semi-final. However, The Replacements had the better goal difference and goal-keeper James Bush had only conceded one goal in the entire tournament so far.

Once the game started, the two teams carefully measured and tested each other. Then came the struggle to put the first point on the board. First blood was awarded to the The Replacements Nicholas Sin fed captain Jason Cheong the ball from midfield and he put a powerful long shot pass Hockey Pitch FC goal-keeper Minh Nguyen. Shortly afterwards, with a moment of individual brilliance, Jason Cheong dribbled past three opponents to score once more.

Leading 2 - 0, The Replacements relaxed for a moment and that proved to be a grievous error as Hockey Pitch FC scored two successive goals in 30 secs. Regretting their mistake, The Replacements continued to battle for a third and hopefully final goal. However, Hockey Pitch FC managed to keep them at bay and drew the match 2 - 2.

In extra time, Hockey Pitch FC scored a further two goals with the score line 4 -2, The Replacements were in despair. It seemed that their hard work and possibility of winning two consecutive Champions Cup tournaments were slipping away fast. A faint glimmer of hope appeared when The Replacements' newest striker, Duong Pham scored from another of Nicholas Sin's electrifying passes. Being behind by only one goal, The Replacements were desperate to score once more.

With time running out fast and what must surely have been the last play of the match, it seemed all was lost for The Replacements. However, striker Jason Cheong took a last desperate shot at Hockey Pitch FC's goals in that last play and, through a deflection, miraculously managed to score. With the scores level 4 - 4, penalty shoot-outs were necessary to separate the teams.

Both goal-keepers, James Bush and Minh Nguyen were unable to stop their opponents' first four shots. With Hockey Pitch FC's last player taking his shot, James Bush steeled himself and managed to block the shot and give his team an advantage. This gave The Replacements' last penalty-taker the opportunity to win the match and tournament by scoring. As fate would have it, this fell to rookie Michael Whan Kan, the youngest player in the tournament. Taking the shot, it would seem that he was unperturbed by the events surrounding him, however, when asked later, he said "I'm sure I lost 2 years of my life worrying about that shot!". Michael Whan Kan proved himself worthy to be on the winning team as he put away his penalty, won the match, and won the tournament with his shot.

Hockey Pitch FC, as a new team in the tournament had put up a valiant effort against the current champions, however, The Replacements were able to show why they deserved to win the tournament twice in a row.

At the end of the tournament, the Golden Boot was awarded to Ahmed Azzam, who scored 9 goals in the entire tournament. The Player of the Tournament award went to Jason Cheong, with 3 votes.

With excitement still in the air, teams are already looking forward to the next tournament.

Last Minute Change of Tournament Format

The tournament organizers have been forced to change the tournament format at the last minute due to booking problems with the venue management. Tournament organizers are annoyed and disappointed with the venue management as the booking was made well in advance and this is not the first time booking problems have occurred. However, the tournament organizers are glad that they have been able to change to format to what they believe to be a fair compromise in this situation.

In the original tournament format, the qualifying round was a single round robin competition with 8 teams with 10-minute matches. In the new format, the qualifying round has been changed to a single round robin competition with 2 groups of 4 teams with 15-minute matches. Each match will comprise of two 7-minute halves and a 1 minute rest period.

The top two teams of the last tournament have been placed in different groups and the remaining teams have been placed into the groups to balance them out. The two groups of the tournament are as follows.

Group 1:
* The Replacements
* Tombeau Bay FC
* Lekip Gros Ventre
* Pression FC

Group 2:
* Camion Lichien
* Club Maurice Underdogs
* Hockey Pitch FC
* Nothing to Lose

The top two teams from each group will progress to the elimination round, which is a knock-out competition with 20-minute matches. Each match comprises of two 9-minute halves and a 2-minute rest period. The top team from group 1 will play against the second team from group 2 and the top team from group 2 will play against the second team from group 1.

Tournament organizers have apologized to all teams in the competition, as they state that this change has been necessary due to last minute booking problems with the venue management.

Spring 2009 Tournament: The Clash is on!

The date has been set. The venue has been booked. Teams have answered the call and prepared themselves. Today, is the calm before tomorrow's inevitable storm. With a record 8 teams vying for supremacy, the Spring 2009 Tournament promises to be tougher than ever.

Four teams have returned to the Champions Cup to seek out silverware again:
* The Replacements
* Camion Lichien
* Tombeau Bay FC
* Nothing to Lose

The Replacements have returned to defend their title and reassert themselves as reigning champions. Camion Lichien, also amidst the returning teams, is seeking the finals once more. TBFC is back for cold-hard revenge and Nothing to Lose is fearlessly returning despite their poor performance in the last tournament.

Four new teams have also joined the tournament:
* Lekip Gros Ventre (LGV)
* Club Maurice Underdogs (CMU)
* Pression FC
* Hockey Pitch FC

LGV, newcomers to the tournament, intend on reviving the glory of days past. CMU, the self-named underdogs, come to forge a new start and name for themselves in the Champions Cup. Pression FC and Hockey Pitch FC have kept an aura of mystery around themselves and have not made their intentions clear.

These teams have come together to answer the call of the Champions Cup. The clash will be bloody, but the teams are willing to test themselves for the glory of victory and silverware.

Tournament organizers have released photos of the winners and runners-up trophies below.


Runners Up Trophy



Winners Trophy


Tournament organizers have also announced two new awards this year:
* The Golden Boot award
* The Player of the Tournament award

Keeping with football tradition, the Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament and the Player of the Tournament will be awarded based on the referees' votes. The trophies for both awards are shown below.

Golden Boot Trophy



Player of the Tournament Trophy


With the tingling of nervous anticipation today, both organizers and teams are looking forward to tomorrow. After all is done and the dust settles, who will emerge triumphant?

Fog of War: Hockey Pitch FC and Pression FC

While all teams in the tournament have divulged information about themselves to be published, Hockey Pitch FC and Pression FC remain shrouded in mystery. Little is known about these two new teams and that may well be the way they want it.

Both teams have only submitted minimal information about themselves to the tournament organizers. Pression FC consists of the following players:
Hughes Wong (captain)
Oliver Lam
Gerome Cloridor
Gerald Cheung
Jason Ip
Mark Chung

Hockey Pitch FC is made up of the follow players:
Jeff Lai Sang (captain)
Keshav Dhayam
Lucas
Ahmed
Minh

Jeff Lai Sang is a former Tombeau Bay FC (TBFC) player, and seemingly he has left TBFC to found his own team. Reportedly the parting with TBFC has been amicable.

It would appear that these two teams have purposely not revealed information to their opponents' disadvantage. With their unknown players, these two little-known teams are the wildcards of the tournament.

Nothing to Lose: The Name says it All

They came to the last tournament with a team consisting of mismatched players and aptly named themselves, "Nothing to Lose". Unlike other teams, they had no high expectations of victory. They simply came to play for the love of the game, not having a care about winning or losing. Their only claim to fame is defeating Tombeau Bay FC 3 - 1 in a highly controversial match.

Finishing last with an unimpressive record, not many would dare to attend the tournament again. However, these men remain undaunted and are willing to stand toe-to-toe against the giants of the Champions Cup. They are willing to put their bodies on the line to test the mettle of these so-called champions.

With former captian Kenny "Cha Cha" How missing in action, Laurent Li has stepped up to take the reigns and lead Nothing to Lose. The team is made of the following players:
Laurent Li (captain)
Charles Li
Edouard Whan Kan
Nicolas Chung
Glen Sheo
Wallace Loo
Matthew Edwards

The team is almost unrecognizable as it has changed considerably. The only two original members are Laurent Li and Nicolas Chung. Notably Edouard Whan Kan is the veteran ex-Tombeau Bay FC goal-keeper who conceded the least number of goals in the Winter 2009 Tournament (equaled by Kenny Lam playing for The Replacements) and Glen Sheo captain of Sh*t Kickers, semi-finalists in the last tournament.

In the Spring 2009 Tournament, they come again with nothing to lose, but with such a considerable change in line up and the addition of experienced players, they not only have nothing to lose, but also everything to gain.

Camion Lichien: Every Dog has its Day

After emerging second from the qualifying round and defeating Sh*t Kickers 4 - 1 in the semi-final, Camion Lichien headed to the final against The Replacements who mercilessly knocked-out Tombeau Bay FC 6 - 1 in their semi-final match, and had so far been undefeated.

With tired and cramping players, and The Replacements still on the rampage, Camion Lichien put up a valiant fight against the undefeated giants but in the end, Camion Lichien could not stop The Replacements' onslaught. The Replacements was victorious 5 - 3 and Camion Lichien was left licking its wounds.

It was feared that Camion Lichien would not return in the Spring 2009 Tournament, however, they registered at the last minute. It seems they have returned with renewed motivation and some changes in the team. Christian Li has replaced Gary Wong as captain and their current line up is:
Christian Li (captain)
Gary Wong
Franklin Koon
Kevin Lau
Andy Goriah
David Ip
Andy Li

New captain Christian Li, who played in the Winter 2009 Tournament, has learned from past mistakes. With only six players in the team last tournament and a number of them cramping up in the all-important final match, Christian has expanded Camion Lichien to a seven man squad for the Spring 2009 Tournament. New additions to the team are Andy Goriah, David Ip, and ex-Tombeau Bay player Franklin Koon.

With an average age of 21 years, this team is likely the youngest team in the tournament, even younger than Club Maurice Underdogs (CMU). The team consists of players from Monash University and have a long standing rivalry with CMU players who originate from the University of Melbourne. The teams are not aptly named as so far Club Maurice Underdogs have defeated Camion Lichien in all of their encounters outside of the Champions Cup to date. However, Christian Li is not dismayed by their current record and says that their series of defeats actually gives Camion Lichien extra motivation against CMU in the Champions Cup. It may well be that the Champions Cup will be the beginning of a new era for the rivalry between Camion Lichien and CMU with Camion Lichien finally triumphant. Christian Li also acknowledges the rivalry with Tombeau Bay FC (TBFC) and notes that their match ended in a draw in the last tournament. TBFC captain Kenny "Fano" Fong has made it clear that he wants the draw settled and it seems like Christian Li's team will happily oblige him in the upcoming tournament.

Christian Li's aspiration for Camion Lichien in the Spring 2009 Tournament is to claw their way to the final again. He says that it will be a massive achievement to be in the final in two consecutive tournaments. He says winning the tournament will be difficult against teams like The Replacements, who outplayed everyone in the last tournament, and CMU, who have consistently defeated them in their past encounters. However, with an improved team, he remains hopeful.

It is said, "every dog has its day", will 28 November 2009 be Camion Lichien's day?

Tombeau Bay FC: Revenge of the Fallen

Although they made an admirable start and had success in the qualifying round, Tombeau Bay FC's (TBFC) last campaign ended in heartache and disappointment. In their first round qualifying match, TBFC were defeated by, eventual and current champions, The Replacements 2 - 1. TBFC then managed to rally themselves to defeat Not Quite Right (3 - 2) and Sh*t Kickers (3 - 1), and drew against Camion Lichien (1 - 1) in their subsequent games.

At the end of the qualifying round, after the dust settled, TBFC were placed fourth on the ladder, earning a place in the the semi-finals against The Replacements. TBFC narrowly missed qualifying third as Sh*t Kickers, with the same number of points, had one more "Goals For" than TBFC.

The Replacements showed neither signs of tiring or mercy as they crushed TBFC 6 - 1 and knocked them out of the semi-finals and tournament. Defeated, TBFC fell by the wayside as The Replacements moved on to clash against Camion Lichien to determine the winner of the Winter 2009 Champions Cup.

Unwilling to lay defeated, TBFC captain Kenny "Fano" Fong has resurrected his team to exact revenge on their assailants. Kenny Fong insists that TBFC's Spring 2009 campaign is not about winning the tournament; it is about paying back those who hurt them during the last tournament.

At the top of TBFC's hit list is The Replacements. Twice defeated by The Replacements, Kenny Fong is spurning TBFC on for victory against them. If The Replacements has kept its form from the last tournament, it will be a difficult task, but Kenny Fong has nothing but red hot determination in his eyes.

TBFC is also keeping an eye out for Camion Lichien. Unpleased with the neutrality of their draw against Camion Lichien, Kenny Fong says that TBFC has a score to settle against them. Notably Franklin Koon, an ex-TBFC player, is now reportedly playing for Camion Lichien. While there is no animosity, Kenny Fong says that playing against his former team mate will bring more excitement and spice things up against Camion Lichien.

TBFC's challenges are not empty as the captain has taken pains to reinforce his team. The new line up is as follows:
* Kenny "Fano" Fong (captain)
* Kim "Bad Boy #2" Young
* Anthony Koon
* Danny Young
* Alex Chong
* Nicolas "Teokon" Tao
* Bushan Sookhareea

Veteran player, Edouard Whan Kan, who solidified TBFC's defence as goal-keeper and conceded the least number of goals in the tournament (equaled by The Replacements' Kenny Lam in the same tournament) has departed the team to play for Nothing to Lose. Jeff Lai Sang has also moved on to found a new team in the tournament, Hockey Pitch FC. With founding members Kim "Bad Boy #2" Young and Anthony Koon returning, TBFC is strengthened with the addition of Alex Chong, Nicolas "Teokon" Tao, and Bushan Sookhareea.

With the fallen TBFC resurrected and infused with new blood, can they rise to the occasion and punish those who vanquished them in the last tournament?

Club Maurice Underdogs: A New Beginning

They refer to themselves as "underdogs", but newcomers to the Champions Cup Tournament, Club Maurice Underdogs (CMU), is composed of experienced players. They have been playing together since 2006 in various (outdoor) soccer leagues such as the Williams Bucks Soccer League and the Victorian Amateur League and have achieved much success. However, their participation in the Champions Cup marks their first attempt in a futsal tournament.

The team, led by goal-keeper Kenny Lam, is a young side with three-quarters of their players under 25 years of age. The team is made up of the following players:
Kenny Lam (captain and goal-keeper)
Kenny Choon
Teddy Choon
Mervyn Lam
Dean Lau
Gerald Wong
Ken Lo

Other teams would be remiss to underestimate CMU based solely on its players' age. Captain Kenny Lam states:

One thing I can say is that the boys play with great maturity and I'm confident they will deliver a good performance during the tournament.

Kenny Lam is no stranger to the Champions Cup as he is the former goal-keeper of the current champions, The Replacements. In the last tournament, whilst playing for The Replacements, he performed admirably and only conceded 9 goals in the entire tournament (The Replacements played a total of 7 games). To date, this is the lowest number of goals conceded a Champions Cup tournament, a feat equaled in the same tournament by Tombeau Bay FC's goal-keeper, Edouard Whan Kan. However, Tombeau Bay FC only played 6 games in the tournament as they were defeated in the semi-finals by The Replacements. To put matters into perspective, the highest number of goals conceded in that tournament was 27 goals.

It is clear that Kenny Lam knows exactly what the level of competition in the tournament is and what it takes to emerge triumphant. It is also clear that he has the individual skills as a goal-keeper to provide a solid last man defence for his team.

Kenny Lam looks forward to challenging each and every team in the upcoming Spring 2009 Tournament, however, he is particularly looking forward to the clash against The Replacements as their captain, Jason Cheong, has stated that The Replacements is looking for fresh new challenges in this tournament.

His parting with The Replacements to lead CMU was amicable and he has obvious respect for his former team:

The Replacements are a really good team with decent players. They play good passing football.

CMU is in high spirits, as their captain describes:

The lads are in a really good mood, especially after a long and stressing period of university exams. The boys want to have fun and want new challenges before the next season of soccer begins. We are confident we can do well.

CMU states that they are not looking for an instant coronation, but with the runners-up of the Winter 2009 Tournament, Camion Lichien, missing in action, can this new young side provide The Replacements with the fresh new challenge they are calling for? One thing's for sure, CMU relishes their underdog status:

Life is never more fun than when you're the underdog competing against the giants!

Will David bring down Goliath? Only the Champions Cup clash will tell.

Lekip Gros Ventre: The Spirit of Football

Given their team name, Lekip Gros Ventre (LGV), newcomers to the Champions Cup Tournament, are obviously taking a fun approach to the competition. Team captain, Kenny Woo, says that he hand-picked players to bring back the spirit of Football Du Dimanche, the friendly Sunday football events in Brunswick in which many players (including those participating in the Champions Cup) had their debut in Mauritian football in Australia.

At the end of Football Du Dimanche, to which the Champions Cup Tournament can trace its origins, its members were disbanded and some chose to participate in other football-related events whilst some left their boots hanging to collect dust. Kenny Woo specifically chose some of the original members of Football Du Dimanche, in particular the older players who have not participated in football-related events for quite a while. These players are working class men who were scattered in offices throughout Melbourne, but they now have been united by LGV:
Kenny Woo (captain)
Kevin "Chinese Tiger" Leung
Patrice Hung
Didier Ng
Jean-Yann Ng
Jason Woo
Kristopher Choo

Kenny Woo jokes that the team name is derived from the "love handles" they have acquire since hanging up their boots. All of the LGV players are new to the Champions Cup, except for Kevin "Chinese Tiger" Leung. The Chinese Tiger formerly played for Nothing to Lose in the Winter 2009 Tournament of the Champions Cup in which Nothing to Lose had a dismal campaign and finished last. Their only saving grace was a 3-1 victory against Tombeau Bay FC in the qualifying round. There are rumours of Nothing to Lose participating in the Champions Cup again in this tournament, however, nothing has been confirmed yet.

It seems that LGV does not have any great aspirations for themselves in the tournament. Kenny Woo says that their aim is to minimize the number of fouls they receive. Surely they must have a hidden agenda to emerge as tournament champions behind their fun and friendly facade.

Just when they thought their football days were over and done with, the players of yester-year have been called once more. United as LGV, they are getting the dust off their boots and preparing themselves for a Champions Cup Tournament campaign. Can these big bellied men really bring back the spirit of Football Du Dimanche? Only the Spring 2009 Tournament will tell.

The Return of The Replacements

The Replacements, winner of the inaugural Champions Cup (Winter 2009 Tournament) and current reigning champions, have officially registered their attendance for the Spring 2009 Tournament. They are returning to not only defend their title, but are looking also to improve on their performance during the last tournament.

The Replacements had an extremely successful campaign last tournament and were undefeated in the entire tournament. The only game they did not win was a qualifying round match against Sh*t Kickers which they drew 1-1. They topped the qualifying round with 13 points and with Camion Lichien, the eventual runners-up of the Winter 2009 Tournament, trailing in second place with 10 points.

In the semi-finals, The Replacements faced Tombeau Bay FC. It was a deserving semi-finals match full of rivalry (Jason Cheong is originally from Tombeau Bay, Mauritius) which also pitted kin against kin. The Replacements team captain, Jason Cheong, and, rookie Michael Whan Kan, who are cousins, played against Tombeau Bay FC's veteran player, Edouard Whan Kan, their uncle. It seems the youngsters did not let familial relationships deter them as The Replacements comfortably defeated Tombeau Bay FC 6-1.

In the finals, The Replacements played against Camion Lichien, who defeated Sh*t Kickers 4-1 in the semi-finals to secure their place in the finals. The Replacements won the finals, and the Champions Cup Winter 2009 Tournament, by defeating Camion Lichien 5-3.

The Replacements Winter 2009 team was composed of the following players:
Jason Cheong (captain)
Nicholas Sin
Cameron Holmes
Dean Singh
Michael Whan Kan
Kenny Lam (goal-keeper)

In the upcoming Spring 2009 Tournament, The Replacements have registered a very familiar team, the only change being new goal-keeper, James Bush:
Jason Cheong (captain)
Nicholas Sin
Cameron Holmes
Dean Singh
Michael Whan
James Bush (goal-keeper)

The Replacements is determined to emerge triumphant in this tournament. Jason Cheong, the team captain, had this to say about The Replacements in the upcoming tournament:

"The Replacements is back again this season and is hoping for some fresh new challenges and hoping the previous teams have been able to strengthen their sides. We are going all in with no mercy this time!"

The Replacements looks like a favourite to be champions once again this tournament, however, it's still early days. It's been 4 months since the last Champions Cup, and hopefully, the teams from the previous tournament have improved and are ready to rise to the challenge put forth by The Replacements. There has also been some new teams that have been invited to the tournament. At this point, there's no telling what the Spring 2009 Tournament will bring.


The Replacements, Winners of the Champions Cup Winter 2009 Tournament.
From left to right: Michael Whan Kan, Dean Singh, Cameron Holmes, Nicholas Sin, Jason Cheong, and Kenny Lam.

Champions Cup: Spring 2009 Tournament

Given the success of the last tournament and the requests, we are planning another Champions Cup. The event details are as follows:

Tournament details
Champions Cup: Spring 2009 Tournament
5-a-side futsal tournament
Sat 28 Nov 2009
1000-1500

Important dates
Fri 13/11/2009: Team registration deadline
Wed 18/11/2009: Team payment deadline

Team Registration
To register your team, please send an email at championscuptournament@gmail.com with the following details:
* Team name
* Captain
* Number of players
* Names of players
* Captain's contact details

Team size
Minimum: 5 players
Maximum: 7 players

Team Cost
$100 per team. All payments must be made before the tournament begins.

Tournament Format
The tournament format will be the same as the last tournament:

1. Qualifying round - a single round robin competition. Every team will play every other team. Each match will be 10 minutes in duration without any breaks (i.e. no half-time). The top four teams will then proceed to the elimination round.

2. Elimnation round - a knock-out competition. There will be two semi-finals in which the first ranked team (from the qualifying round) will play the fourth ranked team and the second ranked team will play the third ranked team. The two winners will then proceed to the finals.

Tournament Rules
Tournament rules will be the same as the previous tournament. Please refer to the website (see below) for the rules.

Referees
In order to keep the cost of the tournament low, we have decided that every team will need to provide referees for some games. The referees can be one of the players and they will not referee any of their team's matches.


Champions Cup Website
http://championscuptournament.blogspot.com/
Please monitor the website for updates.

Enquiries
Please send all enquiries to:
championscuptournament@gmail.com

Tournament Results

Thank you to all the participanting teams in the Champions Cup Winter 2009 Tournament. We hope you all enjoyed playing. Congratulations to "The Replacements", the tournament champions.

The results of the tournament are as follows.

Finals
The Replacements def. Camion Lichien 5 - 3

Semi-Finals
Semi-Finals #1: The Replacements def. Tombeau Bay FC 6 - 1
Semi-Finals #2: Camion Lichien def. Sh*t Kickers 4 - 1

Qualifying Round Ladder

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	The Replacements	5	4	1	0	19	9	10	13
2	Camion Lichien	5	3	1	1	22	10	12	10
3	Sh*t Kickers	5	2	1	2	10	10	0	7
4	Tombeau Bay FC	5	2	1	2	9	9	0	7
5	Not Quite Right	5	1	0	4	13	20	-7	3
6	Nothing To Lose	5	1	0	4	10	27	-17	3

Qualifying Round Match Results

Round #	Game #	Match Details	Scores
1	1	The Replacements def. Tombeau Bay FC	2 - 1
1	2	Camion Lichien def. Sh*t Kickers	5 - 1
1	3	Not Quite Right def. Nothing To Lose	6 - 0
2	1	The Replacements def. Camion Lichien	4 - 0
2	2	Tombeau Bay FC def. Not Quite Right	3 - 2
2	3	Sh*t Kickers def. Nothing To Lose	2 - 1
3	1	The Replacements def. Not Quite Right	5 - 2
3	2	Camion Lichien def. Nothing To Lose	2 - 1
3	3	Tombeau Bay FC def. Sh*t Kickers	3 - 1
4	1	The Replacements def. Nothing To Lose	7 - 5
4	2	Sh*t Kickers def. Not Quite Right	5 - 0
4	3	Camion Lichien drew Tombeau Bay FC	1 - 1
5	1	The Replacements drew Sh*t Kickers	1 - 1
5	2	Nothing To Lose def. Tombeau Bay FC	3 - 1
5	3	Camion Lichien drew Not Quite Right	3 - 3

The Trophies

We have now purchased trophies for the winners and runners up. Here are two photos of the trophies. Which team will lift the Champions Cup?

Runners Up

Winners

Tournament Rules

The main aim of the competition is to create a fun, intense, cost-effective, safe, and competitive tournament. To that end, we have devised the following rules. Please ensure that you have read them and that you are familiar with them.

Rules of the Tournament

1. Knowledge of the game:
   1. The laws of indoor soccer that apply are those of FIFA.
   2. In the event of conflict between FIFA rules and the rule of the tournament, the tournament rule will prevail.
   3. Specific rule amendments:
      1. The decisions of the referees is final.
         
      2. An indirect free kick shall be awarded in the following situations:
         1. If a goal-keeper touches or controls the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by his team-mate.
         2. If a goal-keeper touches or controls the ball with his hands or feet in his own penalty area for more than four seconds.
      3. The free kick:
         1. There are two types of free kicks:
            1. Direct free kick: if a direct free kick enters the opponents' goal, a goal shall be awarded.
            2. Indirect free kick: a goal shall only be awarded if the ball touches another player before it enters the goal.
         2. All opponents shall be situated at least 5 meters from the ball until it is in play. When a defending team is taking a free kick from inside its own penalty area, all opponents shall remain outside said area.
      4. The kick-in:
         1. The kick-in is a method of restarting play after the ball has gone out of bounds. A goal may not be scored directly from a kick-in.
         2. The ball shall remain stationary on the touch line.
         3. The player taking the kick-in shall have part of one foot on the touch line or off the pitch at the moment he takes the kick-in.
         4. The player taking the kick-in shall do so within 4 seconds of receiving the ball.
            
         5. The players of the defending team shall be at least 5 meters from the place where the kick-in is taken.
      5. Tackling:
         1. Tackling from behind is allowed.
         2. Players may not slide tackle, except for the goal-keeper.
            
         3. The goal-keeper may slide tackle under following circumstances:
            1. He must clearly be slide tackling for the ball.
            2. The slide tackle must start from inside his own penalty area.
               
      6. Send-offs:
         1. A player who is sent off may not re-enter the play, and should not interfere with the play.
         2. A substitute player may enter the pitch two full minutes after a team-mate has bee sent off, unless a goal is scored before the two minutes has elapsed.
            

2. Tournament format:
   1. The tournament is composed of two parts: (1) a qualifying round (a.k.a. “group stage” or “group round") and (2) the elimination round.
   2. The qualifying round:
      1. The qualifying round shall consist of a single group.
      2. The qualifying round is a single round robin competition. That is, each team shall play every other team once.
      3. After the completion of the qualifying round, the top four teams will qualify to partake in the elimination round.
      4. Team ranking in the qualifying round will be determined as follows:
         1. Teams will first be ranked by points. A win is awarded 3 points, a draw is awarded 1 point, and a lost or forfeit is awarded zero points.
         2. If teams are equal on points, they will then be ranked as follows:
            1. By goal difference (goals for - goals against)
            2. By goals for
            3. By result between the teams in question (head-to-head confrontation)
               
            4. By toss of a coin or penalty shootout (if time permits)
               
   3. The elimination round:
      1. The elimination round consists of two semi-final matches and a final match.
      2. The elimination round is a knock-out competition. That is, a losing team will not progress further in the tournament.
      3. The semi-final matches shall be as follows:
         1. The 1st ranked team from the qualifying round will play against the 4th ranked team.
         2. The 2nd ranked team from the qualifying round will play against the 3rd ranked team.
      4. The two winners of the semi-final matches will play against each other in the final match.
      5. The winner of the final match will be deemed the winner of the tournament.
      6. In the case of a draw in the elimination round, winners will be determined by extra time (if time permits) or penalty shootout.
         

3. The games:
   1. Duration of the games:
      1. Qualifying round games will consist of a single 10-minute match with no breaks.
      2. Elimination round games will consist of a single 20-minute match with no breaks.
   2. The game start and finish by the referee’s whistle or sirens.
   3. Kick-off is decided by toss of coin.
   4. Time of the games:
      1. Teams are to be on court at the scheduled time for the start of the game.
      2. The clock will be started at the scheduled time to ensure all teams have their full game.
      3. Failure to be on the court by at the scheduled time will result in a one-goal penalty.
      4. Thereafter teams will lose one goal for every minute after the scheduled start of the game.
      5. The game will start with or without a full team.
      6. Teams that have players running late must take the court when they have a minimum of three players.
      7. An automatic forfeit will apply if a team is not on court within 5 minutes of the scheduled starting time.

4. Teams:
   1. A team must have at least three players for the game to start.
   2. No more than five players will be allowed on the court at any time.
   3. A team may have up to a maximum of 2 substitutes.

5. Injuries:
   1. Players play at their own risk. The tournament organizers will not be held liable for any injuries or accidents.
   2. To minimize the disruption of subsequent games, no extra time is allocated in this tournament.
   3. An injured player must leave the court as soon as reasonably possible so that play may continue.
   4. Once an injured player leaves the court, his position may be filled with a substituted player.
   5. If a player is bleeding, he must vacate the court immediately and cannot return until the bleeding has stopped.

6. Substitution:
   1. The referee must be notified if the goal-keeper is substituted.
   2. Failure to do so will result in a yellow card to the player and/or the captain.
   3. Substitutions can be made at anytime during the game. The player being substituted off must cross the sideline before the new player comes on.
   4. Failure to do so will result in a yellow card to the player and/or the captain.

7. Fees:
   1. All payments should be finalized before the start of the tournament.
   2. Teams will outstanding payments will not be allowed to compete in the tournament.

The Champions Cup Tournament is Officially on!

We now have enough teams registered and the tournament is officially going ahead! The six teams registered are:

• The Replacements, captain: Jason Cheong
• Sh*t Kickers, captain: Glen Sheo
• Nothing To Lose, captain: Kenny "Cha Cha" How
• Not Quite Right, captain: John Nguyen
• Camion Lichien, captain: Gary Wong
• Tombeau Bay FC, captain: Kenny Fong
  

Our aim is to have a fun, cost-effective, intense, and competitive tournament. As such, here are some general information about the tournament. Updates about the tournament will be posted on the tournament website and Facebook. So please check both regularly.

Tournament format
The tournament format will be as follows:
1. Qualifying round - a single round robin competition. Every team will play every other team. Each match will be 10 minutes in duration without any breaks (i.e. no half-time). The top four teams will then proceed to the elimination round.

2. Elimnation round - a knock-out competition. There will be two semi-finals in which the first ranked team (from the qualifying round) will play the fourth ranked team and the second ranked team will play the third ranked team. The two winners will then proceed to the finals.

Tournament rules
The rules will be made available here soon. In general, we will adhere FIFA rules. Please review the rules carefully, especially those related to tackling (we want the tournament to be as safe as possible) and penalties for being late to matches (we are very limited in terms of time and need everyone to be punctual).

Referees
In order to keep the cost of the tournament low, we have decided that every team will need to provide someone to referee some games. The referee can be one of the players and he will not referee any of his team's matches.

Misc
We may be able to accommodate one more team into the tournament. Thus, if you know of others who are interested, please let them know that they can contact us.
If you have any queries, please let us know.

Organization for the Inaugural Champions Cup Tournament underway!

We are currently in the midst of organizing the first Champions Cup Tournament! The Champions Cup is a one-day, 5-a-side men's futsal cup tournament to be held on 18th July 2009 in Melbourne, Australia.