Lincoln University Futsal Builds Community On and Off the Court

The 2026 National Tertiary Championship Series may have come to a close, but for some university teams, this year has marked a beginning. Beyond the results and medals, new groups have formed, friendships have grown and foundations have been laid for opportunities that students hope will continue well into the future.

At Lincoln University, a growing futsal community is one such story. What began with regular social games in the campus sports hall developed into Lincoln’s first men’s team to compete at the National Tertiary Futsal Championships.

At the championships, held at Christchurch’s Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre from 9–11 August, Lincoln finished eighth and earned the tournament’s Spirit Award, recognising the encouragement, determination and respect the team brought to its debut.

Their journey follows Lincoln’s student-driven men’s volleyball debut in 2025, another example of how enthusiasm on campus can grow into an opportunity to represent the university on the national stage.

For Lincoln Sport Co-ordinator Kathy Baxendale, having this year’s futsal championships close to home provided the opening. Kathy and colleague Peter Magson had been keen to expand Lincoln’s involvement in UTSNZ events, and the regular indoor football and futsal sessions offered a natural starting point.

Kathy advertised the opportunity and brought interested players together. From there, the group took ownership, with university staff supporting the administration behind the scenes.

“But I will let them tell you the story of the tournament with their words as this journey was about them,” Kathy says.

Student Nguyen Hung was among those who began discussing a team after seeing Kathy’s announcement. An initial group of eight or nine players gradually grew as more people were encouraged to join.

Alongside that enthusiasm came experience from player and organiser Denis Vlasin, who had previously helped establish futsal clubs in Auckland and Tauranga. Having joined Lincoln’s social games, Denis was keen to help turn the idea into a team.

“We talked about the team during our social games, posted about it online and kept encouraging people to join,” Denis says. “Gradually, we started building a core group of people who were willing to take part.”

Additional Sunday training sessions, friendly matches and time spent working out positions helped the group develop. Receiving their Lincoln kit marked another milestone.

“We weren’t just a group of people playing together anymore. We were a team, and we wanted to keep improving and supporting each other.”

For many players, the championships would be their first experience of futsal competition. Most of the group were international students, and communicating across different languages added another challenge as they learned to play together.

Yet the connections forming away from training were just as valuable.

Nguyen remembers sharing noodles after a session, talking about life and teaching a teammate to use chopsticks. Other meals together became a lively mix of languages, laughter and discoveries about one another.

“Futsal helped me get new friends, widen my perspective and probably changed myself a bit,” he says.

Representing Lincoln also brought a sense of pride. Nguyen shared a team photograph with family and friends, while the experience helped him rethink what competition could offer.

“I learned how to accept my weaknesses, and I realized competition is not always about competing, we have to enjoy it as well.”

For Denis, the impact took an unexpected direction: involvement with the team encouraged him to explore study opportunities at Lincoln and return to education.

“So strangely enough, futsal became the reason I went back into education and started enjoying studying again.”

Heading into the championships, the team understood the challenge of facing established university squads. Their focus was on commitment to each other and giving everything they could, whatever the score.

“We supported each other constantly, and I think we were probably the loudest team at the tournament because we were always shouting encouragement from the sideline,” Denis says.

The peer-voted Spirit Award gave the group something tangible to take home from its first campaign.

“For me, that meant a lot because it represented exactly what we wanted our team to be about.”

Now, the hope is that this first appearance becomes the foundation for an enduring Lincoln futsal programme, with future students building on what the group has started.

“I hope there will be a permanent team that continues year after year, with new players coming in and building on what we’ve started,” Denis says.

The championship season has finished, but the friendships, experience and enthusiasm developed along the way remain. For Lincoln’s futsal community, 2026 has provided a first chapter and plenty of reasons to keep playing.