Football: Three times the fun

Max Colloty (left), of the Mini Brazilians, tries to get past Jackson Cole, of the Messis team.
Max Colloty (left), of the Mini Brazilians, tries to get past Jackson Cole, of the Messis team.
Roslyn All White Jack Keen (8, left) and his team-mate, Walid Ouhassine (8), try to stop Caleb...
Roslyn All White Jack Keen (8, left) and his team-mate, Walid Ouhassine (8), try to stop Caleb Worshop (8), of the Messis team, from getting to the ball during the Dunedin Football Academy's three-on-three tournament at Forsyth Barr Stadium yesterday....
The Messis' Jackson Cole (left) is about to let fly as Jack Keen closes in.
The Messis' Jackson Cole (left) is about to let fly as Jack Keen closes in.

The World Cup draws a lot of attention, but for 200 young Dunedin footballers the focus, for a few hours at least, was on the Dunedin Football Academy's three-on-three tournament at Forsyth Barr Stadium yesterday.

The tournament was the brainchild of academy boss Malcolm Fleming.

''The main reason behind it is there is a three-on-three tournament in America ...

and we want develop some players to send there in about 18 months,'' he said.

''It is also a chance to get the kids out playing at the stadium and just playing football.''

Yesterday's event was a first and as such an opportunity to test the waters. Judging by the turnout, there is a healthy appetite for the shortened format.

Fleming hopes to run similar tournaments in the future.

''They'll probably be half-yearly or quarterly. We want to get it up and running.

''Anybody from anywhere in town is eligible. Half the kids out there are not in my academy - it is their mates, their school friends, it is all word of mouth.

''The idea was to open it up to the public and let anybody enter.''

The format, which may be tweaked in the future, was two 3min halves with a 30sec halftime break.

The tournament attracted 43 teams and each team played seven games in under two hours.

The Dunedin Football Academy was formerly the Burnley Development Centre, which was set up by the English club to foster pathways and was run from Perth.

It still retains an association with the English Premier League club and Fleming described the Dunedin Football Academy as a ''satellite'' programme.

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