St. Albert Impact Club Sets Looks Forward to Technical Development in Inaugural Season of Futsal

Manager of Player Development & Pathways for St. Albert Soccer Association, Alesha Weicker-Pasternak, says the club is putting their focus on technical development in the brand-new Edmonton Futsal League (EFL). “We were attracted to the league because we wanted to participate in a league that focused on putting our technical abilities to the test in a small area.”

Futsal’s field of play (a gym floor) is a surprise to many who are unfamiliar with the game and can take some adjusting to become comfortable with. The specialized design of the ball keeps it from bouncing on the hard surface and yields fast-paced, high scoring games, and Weicker-Pasternack doesn’t think EFL will be the exception to that rule, “for the league, I am expecting each league game to be fast paced, technical and close scoring.”

Weicker-Pasternack expands on how she hopes to see her players meet the mental challenge of learning new game play, as well as the physical aspects of the game. “Futsal is pivotal in the development of our players because it not only challenges our players’ technical skills but also places a demand on their knowledge of the principles of play. While our players can be quite familiar with the 11v11 and 9v9 format, we are looking forward to challenging them to play a more freestyle version of football.”

Edmonton Futsal League boasts players from various levels of futsal -- from university, to club, to national -- and this unique opportunity allows players in Edmonton to test their skills against some of the best. “We are able to challenge our skills against some quality players who have competed at the highest levels,” Weicker-Pasternak says.

As for expectations, Weicker-Pasternak is taking this learning opportunity for her players, and running. “For our team, I am expecting a lot of growth and development as we learn to play a new format and continue to build our soccer IQ.”