University sport is often closed off from public attention, but the BUCS championships operated across the country are a fine example of meaningful sport, allowing students
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who can hold their own in high-level competition to flourish. The University of York side was no different. Futsal is renowned for its sheer intensity, and good players require speed of thought and excellent technical ability. Players who fit this mould – such as James Briars, who played under Roberti whilst an undergraduate, and has since returned to play for York City – thrived. A further example is goalkeeper Jonny Sim, another York graduate who now plays for England. Sim is also not the first to have progressed onto a bigger stage under Roberti’s guidance. “Jonny played for us in 2014, and started to be more visible in the futsal community. Now he plays for England and we’ll probably play against each other next season. He was here recently doing goalkeeping clinic for our academy, so we still have a fantastic relationship,” he says, the pride in his voice evident. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for York; after winning the Second Division title, they were refused entry into the Super League because they were a university side, the FA fearing that their situation was too unstable. With an insatiable desire to keep building, those involved decided to progress the club onwards, and try again. “We sat down and decided that if we wanted to take the club to the next level in the Super League and in the country, we needed to get help from York City FC,” Roberti says. “I was already working with City on other projects, so we merged with them. The University and York City worked together, and the result was fantastic. We won the league again, and the second time round, the FA gave us a spot in the Super League.” The sense of achievement in gaining Super League status for his club, having left the division behind to embrace a new challenge, is obvious when speaking with the coach. There is a feeling that there is so much more to come, but in his likeably enthusiastic style, he is keeping his feet on the ground. “We’re now in a league of only 12 teams, in the highest division in the country, playing for a place in the Champions’ League,” he beams. “Of course, we need to be realistic. Coming from the second division, we’re going to be playing against teams who have been in the Super League for a long, long time. Two teams are relegated out of the twelve, so I think our first target is not to be relegated, and after that, I think the top six would be great. I’d be very happy, and I think that’s realistic. Anything more would be amazing, but I don’t want to create any false expectations.”
“At that point the Futsal National League was already in my life, in the highest level.” THENONLEAGUE.COM - 77