While much focus is on Irish League clubs potential progress in Europe, there's another Northern Irish team looking to create Champions League history this summer
While much focus has been placed on Irish League sides potentially making a significant step in European competitions with Larne preparing for their Champions League opener next week, there’s another Northern Irish team that have eyes on securing a piece of continental history.
Next month, Sparta Belfast Futsal Club will travel to Sweden to compete in the Champions League for a fourth time and in Thursday’s draw were pitted in a preliminary group against Azerbaijan outfit Araz Naxçivan, hosts Uddevalla and Estonian side Sillamäe.
Futsal – a fast-paced indoor game which is played on a hardcourt between two teams of five players per side – is still an emerging sport on these shores with Northern Ireland only playing their first international fixture in December 2016, but huge strides have already been made with Sparta at the forefront.
Captained by Darius Roohi, who also plays in the Irish League for Ballyclare Comrades, the Belfast club are looking to become the first local team to pick up a Champions League point – something which feels within touching distance.
"We're getting so much closer,” said Roohi. “When Northern Irish futsal first started there were some horror results, but now we're getting close to making that next step.
"When one team does achieve it, and hopefully it's us at Sparta, it would be a landmark moment for the sport in Northern Ireland. It would be iconic and that's what we want to do.
"Success is getting that first point for us. Of course the priority is to win our league because without that you can't get to the Champions League, but also when we look forward our focus is on Europe and we want to be getting points now.
"The mindset in the past might have been looking to compete and keeping the score down, now the expectation is to compete."
Roohi is part of the Northern Ireland futsal squad – they contested two friendlies against San Marino earlier this year before travelling to Cyprus for European qualifiers in April – while the likes of Ryan McMenemy and Nathan Best, who play football for Coagh United and East Belfast respectively, also juggle time between both sports.
The opportunity to represent club and country on the biggest stage – and the significance of it – isn’t lost on 25-year-old Roohi or his teammates and they’re all looking to grasp this latest chance of writing their names into folklore.
This summer will provide a significant challenge with Araz Naxçivan winning 38 of 77 matches on the European stage throughout their history, including finishing third in both 2010/11 and 2013/14, and will be favourites to progress from Group H to the main path, but Sparta can dare to dream.
"If we were to progress to the main round there would be parties going on for the rest of the season...we'd be expecting statues!" laughs Roohi. “To get this opportunity to represent your team in Europe is what people dream about.
"Whether it's football, futsal or any other sport, you want to reach the top level and what that means in futsal is playing in Europe and for your national team, and I'm so thankful to have opportunities in both."