Futsal scores growing player base in city | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

What's Christchurch's fastest growing sport?

You mightn't have even heard of it, but futsal has a strong claim.

The five-a-side indoor soccer started in Christchurch only in October 2004, but now has about 700 players in winter and summer leagues, six staff and five coaches running it, visiting teams coming regularly and South Island teams going overseas, and a school league operating in the first and last terms.

In another step forward, the South Island Vikings ? five Christchurch schoolboy players and five from Otago ? recently played 14 matches in Chengdu, a city of 10 million in China's Sichuan province. Like the region's famous food, the Vikings were hot stuff. They had nine wins, a draw, and four losses.

The wins included two over a top high school team which French club Metz has invested in, and coached by China's national futsal goalkeeper.

The local reps in the Vikings were Brad Isherwood, Jayden Richards, and Ashley Austin (all Shirley Boys' High) and Josh Dredg and James Bailey (St Bede's). Isherwood was the team's most improved player.

It was the first tour that far afield for Canterbury players, said local futsal CEO Paul Wadsworth, a former Queensland rugby rep.

The Chinese were so impressed by the performances, the Kiwis have been invited back for the China Cup tournament at the end of the year.

Culturally the tour was a huge experience for the boys, said Wadsworth. But they took a while to get used to Sichuan breakfasts ? "Weetbix and warm milk has never sounded so good."

Wadsworth came to New Zealand from running futsal in Brisbane for about 10 years. A former rugby player, he got one state cap against NSW at the Sydney Football Stadium before a broken collarbone in a club match ended his career.

The beauty of futsal was it was so accessible.

"A lot of people are now realising it's a great cross-training game, as well as a sport in its own right," he said It also had the social side like touch, and players felt they had some ownership of their team.