SIX Bendigo Senior Secondary College students were part of a medal-winning Victorian team at the National School Futsal Championships held in Brisbane over the recent school holidays.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kieran Forrest, Brodie McSweeney, Pleh Eh Ywa Hlaing, Bah Blu Htoo Kunoo, Htee Moo Htoo and Per Soe were all members of the Victorian team which was runner-up in the Championships.
The team finished third at the end of the round-robin matches, then defeated the second-placed team in the semi-final to qualify for the final.
Unfortunately for the six players their team was defeated by a strong Queensland team in the final.
The championships were particularly sweet for Karen student Bah Blu, who was selected in the All-Star Five at the end of the tournament, placing him among the five best futsal players in the country.
The four Karen boys were able to attend the championships after generous support from the Bendigo community, including donations from the Rotary Club of Bendigo and the Y Services Club of Bendigo.
Bah Blu, who has lived in Bendigo since 2007 after arriving with his family, has been invited to represent Australia in Rio next May. He also plays soccer locally for Bendigo City FC.
The four Karen players, who came to Australia from refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border, were selected after the school arranged to have a futsal coach run a clinic earlier this year.
The coach noticed their talent almost straight away, and offered them the opportunity to play with the best in Brisbane.
