AFTER a frustrating first year in university football, with limited game time and team politics, Matthew Starkey decided to make a change- join the futsal society instead.
Heading into his second consecutive season, Starkey couldn’t be happier with his choice, joining a team full of community, connections, and camaraderie.
Speaking on his journey into the sport, he reflected on the disillusionment from his former sport:
“I joined the football society in my first year, and I didn’t get much game time, despite me being, and I don’t want to blow my own horn, one of the better players in the team. There were two kinds of groups, and the leader of the team would usually chose his mates to start over the better players.”
There was a consensus of tension and frustration in the team, with little game time affecting morale.
“It was very frustrating, to be honest, not getting as much game time. [For example] I’m sat on the bench going to Exeter, a 2 hour trip, and I’d come on for the last 5 mins, it just was not very fun.”
In contrast, the move to futsal has brought a sense of belonging and enjoyment, with the addition of Starkey taking up the role of social secretary for the team.
“Most players coming to Futsal are from a football background, and don’t necessarily get it straight away, but we’ve got our coach Charlie here, and it just makes everything a lot better as we all learn as a group.”
“Everyone is together here, you can see us all training here together, and we’re just one community, everyone gets on very well… everything we do is done together, we’re all learning together”
High-energy training sessions under the expert guidance of coach Charlie Dast, both A and B teams have high aspirations for the forthcoming season following last year’s relegation.
Both teams, one in Tier 1 and the other in Tier 2, are aiming for promotion.
“It should be a good season,” Starkey added with a smile.
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