Grant Campbell is thrilled Aberdeen Futsal Academy will get to represent Scotland on the European stage after winning the Scottish title at the first attempt.
The Granite City outfit defeated PYF Saltires 6-5 in Perth on Sunday to clinch the Scottish Futsal Super League and secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Aberdeen will face three other sides from across Europe in the qualifying phase of the continental competition in August.
Futsal is an indoor five-a-side version of football played with a size four reduced bounce ball, and Aberdeen have enjoyed a remarkable rise in the sport.
Former Wick Academy, Huntly, Cove Rangers and Fraserburgh player Campbell founded the academy in October 2022 alongside ex-Broch team-mate Owen Cairns (now with Elgin City), with their first competitive game being three months later.
Campbell’s side has featured a number of familiar faces to Breedon Highland League followers, including Alan Redford, Chris Angus and Jamie Watt.
Champions League beckons for Aberdeen Futsal after jumping through hoops during journey
Campbell, 34, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for the club. There are some great teams in the league and Saltires were unbeaten for a couple of years domestically before this season.
“We managed to beat them in Aberdeen and we knew we’d have to beat them in Perth to win the league.
“It wasn’t easy, but winning 6-5 on their patch was a fantastic feeling.
“Being in the Champions League is a brilliant achievement for everyone involved.
“It’s basically the same as the Champions League in football – you need the same medicals, a club doctor, a media liaison officer, all those requirements.
“It’s quite unbelievable that we’ll be there representing Scotland. It will be a fantastic experience.
“To get to this point has not been easy – just to play in the national league we had to create a regional league.
“To create a regional league we had to find a venue where we could paint a court. Robert Gordon University have been absolutely fantastic in allowing us to play there.
“We had to get funding and Azets have come on board and sponsored us and been brilliant.
“All that was just to play our first regional game. To then go on and get into the national league and win it has been quite a journey in 15 months.”
More to be done
Between October and the end of March, Campbell ran futsal sessions for children and he’s keen to develop the next generation of players in the north-east.
Prior to starting the Aberdeen Futsal Academy, there was no adult league or youth structure in the area.
Campbell added: “I couldn’t understand why futsal wasn’t being played in Aberdeen.
“For people that love playing football, futsal is perfect. It’s five players on the court, you get lots of touches of the ball, it’s fast and intense.
“We wanted to see what we could build and this is what’s turned out.
“We need to find a way to open things up and provide opportunities for kids in Aberdeen and the north-east.
“In Aberdeen, we haven’t got any meaningful futsal going on.
“If you look across Europe and South America all the kids play futsal, why is it any different here?
“We’ve done a lot of things, but it’s been with a view to now attracting people to help us grow the game.
“This is very much the starting point for futsal in Aberdeen, not the end point.”
Watch: Highland League Weekly – Fraserburgh v Brechin City and Banks o’ Dee v Huntly highlights
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