Canterbury Pride U17’s Journey to Victory
The Canterbury Pride U17 Futsal Girls team made an incredible mark by winning the Futsal National Championships, staying undefeated the entire way through. Their success came down to one thing, great teamwork.
Canterbury United Pride U17 Girls Futsal Champions 2025
We hear about teamwork all the time, but what does it really mean? Merriam-Webster defines teamwork as “work done by a group acting together so that each member does a part that contributes to the efficiency of the whole.” I believe teamwork comes down to these three elements.
Elevating Your Team
It’s easy to focus praise on the player who scores the most goals, but we must also recognize the support behind those opportunities. Understanding your role in the team—both on the pitch and on the bench—is essential. Support roles are often overlooked, yet they form the foundation of a great team. Every contribution—whether it’s a pass, a defensive play, or encouragement from the sidelines—plays a vital part in the team’s success.
This principle is easy to practice when the team is winning or in a strong position. However, it becomes truly vital in tough situations. In those moments, there’s often a tendency to try and take control as an individual rather than trusting in your teammates.
The U17 girls demonstrated a remarkable fighting spirit that became contagious throughout the team. Players put their bodies on the line to block shots and screen opponents, showing relentless determination. Meanwhile, players on the bench elevated their teammates by calling out every good tackle and celebrating defensive efforts. This collective mindset turned challenging moments into opportunities to strengthen their bond and secure their success.
Canterbury United Pride U17 winning their final game of the competition
Goal Setting
I’ve always been known as a tactical and technical coach, but in recent years, I’ve started placing greater emphasis on team culture, inspired by the work done with the NZ National Futsal Ferns. Setting clear goals is a powerful way to align everyone and focus on what truly matters during a competition. While winning is the ultimate objective, simply stating it as the goal isn’t enough. Teams need to break it down into actionable steps and strategies that guide them to success.
To achieve this, I asked each player on the team two key questions:
What is your big goal for the competition?
For example: "Finish in the top three" or "Stay positive."What do you want to achieve in each game?
For example: "Do not concede first and last 5 minutes" or "Keep a clean sheet."
Depending on how the players answer each question, you will be able to dig deeper with some of them for e.g. with “Stay Positive” you can ask how will they try to achieve that or in what way?
Canterbury United Pride U17
Collaboration
I was fortunate to coach a team that already got along well and had strong relationships. This made it easier for players to openly share their opinions and thoughts. Traditionally, preparation for the Futsal Youth National Championships is very short—in our case, just an hour of weekly training for seven weeks. Building a strong team culture in such a limited time can be challenging, but this group’s existing bond gave us a solid foundation to build upon.
Rather than simply providing the team with a solution, I encouraged the players to take ownership of the challenge. We would huddle up, discuss the issue, and work together to find a solution that everyone felt confident about.
A team building exercise we did at our break time during the tournament
The Canterbury Pride U17 Futsal Girls’ victory at the National Championships was a testament to the power of teamwork. By elevating each other, setting clear goals, and fostering collaboration, they showed what a united team can achieve.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into teamwork, I recommend this podcast episode by Adam Grant, an Organisational Psychologist: “The Problem with All Stars”. Grant explores how creating a collaborative environment can unlock potential in teams, echoing many of the lessons we applied on the futsal court. You can check out the episode here.
