St Pauls' Futsal star training with national squad until world body gives all clear.
St Pauls Collegiate have produced a few sporting stars over the years with 17-year-old John Penyas now poised to join the school’s sporting elite by taking his good form as a school Futsal star on to the international stage.
Penyas is already firmly in the sights of national coach Scott Gilligan but he is being stymied, in the meantime at least, by Fifa’s residency rules.
As the only form of indoor football officially recognised by the world’s governing body, Futsal is taking off and opening new doors to talented players worldwide.
Penyas, born in the Philippines but living in Hamilton with his New Zealand grandfather, has obtained his residency but must now meet Fifa’s criteria before getting his chance to display his skills internationally. Until he gets that tick of approval, and New Zealand Football’s high performance manager Fred de Jong said he expects his eligibility to be given the okay "sooner rather than later", Penyas will continue to train as a member of the national squad.
First introduced to the indoor game by former All White Mike Groom, Penyas has split his time between indoor and outdoor soccer.
"Mike Groom was running indoor classes and I just went along," said Penyas. "I really enjoy it and don't find the switch from one to the other difficult."
Groom’s technical ability has long been recognised in this country and has obviously played a major part in Penyas' development in a sport which demands a high skill level. Futsal is played between teams of five with generally no set positions.
"I have been playing mainly as a midfielder in the first XI since Year 9 and I'm now in Year 12," said Penyas. "We have just played in the premier tournament in Taupo which was my fourth time."
While Penyas said "we didn't do too well" – St Pauls lost the playoff for 29th 1-0 to St Andrews College – he is happy to mix the two sports.
"Futsal is getting bigger especially down here with a new Waikato-Bay of Plenty competition," said Penyas, who was voted the MVP at this year’s secondary schools nationals.
His efforts at that tournament caught Gilligan’s eye and led to his selection in the national squad.
While he awaits his ticket to play, Penyas will continue to train. He hopes one day to take his considerable talents to the US where the sport is big and offers scholarships to budding stars.
