The competition started fiercely after players registered their teams. There were eight teams in total - they were: Gurabaa, 1Islam Productions, 2Islam Productions (one night only), Abods/Hisham, Ramy, Zak, Saffa, Indivs, Al-Risya, Dr. Aly.

The boys were so fired up, fielding at least 5 brothers per team, that originally 7.5 minute intervals was no obstacle for their fitness levels. But as the competition progressed and the sweat was gushing, this was quickly put back to 5 minute intervals to give them a breather.

Gurabaa made up of brothers from the Saturday FAMSY soccer program, players like Abu Ahmad, Sari, Ehab, Mohammed, and Omar to name just a few, made their mark early on showing their display of superior attack! Closely behind was Abod’s team, also from the Saturday FAMSY soccer program. This team included players like Abod, Hisham, Omar and Fawwaz and established that they weren’t going to make it easy for anyone to score – a defensive record that would see them through to the finals!

1Islam Productions led by Br Sobhi showed some gutsy performances and the message they gave with every team they played was they weren’t a push over. Clearly the first night showed that the rest of the competition was going to be a nail biter.

FAMSY’s team led by Br Ahmed Hamodeh seemed to struggle in both attack and defense although there was some gutsy displays by Br Abdul Fattah scoring several goals. In the skills department, Br Bassam Al-Hamad showed how to score goals. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to win the games.

The Doctors (Aly and Fadi) showed a gallant display in competitiveness but unfortunately, they just could not convert the effort to victories.

After the first week of competition, Br Ramy’s team seemed to be made up of different players – rather familiar faces from the other teams! Hmm, what happened to his original team? Well, Ramy’s team was playing with a team of substitutes from the other teams. Ramy’s team was quickly establishing itself high up on the competition ladder although this would be the subject of an official enquiry leading up to the finals.

Gurabaa were starting to show some signs that they were actually beatable. 1Ilsam was adding to the winning tally as was Abod’s team (where were you Abod?! Hisham had to take over?). Zak, Saffa, Al-Risya and Indivs all recorded wins but fell well and truly behind on the ladder although they had the time of their lives. By no means were they a pushover but not everyone can be the winner. The doctors have decided that the young guns together with the late nights are a bit too much and felt that their soccer career was over for 2004 (maybe next year brothers) as they did not return after the first week.

In the third week, Gurabaa continued to shoot up the competition ladder but their defensive record seemed to be lagging behind allowing their competitors to enjoy scoring goals. Unlike Abod’s team (without Abod) who’s defensive record was the best in the competition because of big Omar’s solid defensive skills, FAMSY appeared to have put on a few more wins under their belt. Ramy’s team, well the faces kept changing and the wins accumulating!! 1Islam was still chugging along as the quite achievers. 2Islam made their debute – their roots coming from the 1Islam production backbone. They certainly made an impression which was to last only on the night.

The final night of competition was a night to remember due to the climax and the way the finals panned out. The top four teams were Gurabaa, Hisham (Abod), 1Islam and FAMSY. Notable was Gurabaa’s attacking record and Hisham’s defensive record. However since 1Islam did not turn up on the night, the next team on the ladder after FAMSY was Zak. Zak, ‘the Campbelltown boz’ who would shock the competition by eventually making it to the grand final!

Ramy’s team was officially declared a phantom team although Ramy’s winning record put him in the top 4. But the officials agreed to put Ramy on the FAMSY team in light of his substitutes playing in the finals on the other teams. Sorry Ramy, the FAMSY Shura’s words are final.

After agreeing on the draw for the semi-finals, the first team Gurabaa had to play the second team Hisham for a place in the grand final and FAMSY had to play Zak for a position in the grand final. This was to produce a controversial but sensational finish to the competition as it meant that 1^st will play 2^nd and 3^rd will play 4^th position getters to gain a place in the grand final. All team captains were OK with this finals draw. The rationale? To give a weaker team ala FAMSY or Zak and opportunity to play in the grand final!

The first game was a nail biter: Gurabaa’s attacking record versus Hisham’s defensive record. Who was it to be? The game finished with no goals scored and everyone was glued to the edge of their seats! All eyes were then glued to the next goal scored. It was called the ‘golden goal’ in extra time. The nerves were showing as captains put their team players in check and the pressure was on to focus on the golden goal. Only a few minutes into extra time, the winning goal was scored by Hisham’s team and a massive roar was heard throughout the indoor complex. The anguish and disappointment in the faces of the team players in Gurabaa was felt by everyone. Gurabaa was to bow out gracefully and in full sporting spirit congratulated Hisham’s team on a well fought victory. It would be recorded in the FAMSY history books that Hisham’s team (oh and yes Abod was on that winning team) made the grand final for 2004.

The next game was between Zak and FAMSY. The Campbelltown boz were on a high "we’ve never played indoor soccer before" was the catch cry for Zak’s team (yeah right boyz!). The match started out very well with FAMSY commanding control – Brothers Ahmed, Bassam, Zaid, Ramy led the attack but did not bear any fruit. In the second half, Zak’s team scored after some ordinary defense and the keeper just could not get his hands on the ball. Only a moment later, Zak’s team scored yet again sealing their record birth in the Grand Final stakes in the annual FAMSY Indoor Soccer competition. And boy were they delighted! FAMSY has no answer – they just allowed Zak’s team to move around and get very close to the keeper.

The Grand Final was a great finish to a hectic competition. Hisham’s team was too strong for Zak’s team even though Zak’s team fought right though to the end of the finishing whistle. Hisham’s team was victorious for 2004 – taking out the championship trophy for 2004. Everyone was delighted with the suspense of the final game.

Br Ahmed Hamodeh, President of FAMSY presented Hisham’s team with their Trophies (7 players received a fancy trophy engraved FAMSY 2004 Indoor Soccer Grand Final Winners) and presented a medal for the runners up to Zaks team (7 players received a medal engraved with FAMSY 2004 Indoor Soccer – Runners Up). Finally, Hisham’s team were handed over the FAMSY Indoor Soccer shield which they held up confirming that they were the champions for 2004.

Br Ahmed thanked all those who were involved and made the competition a big success. From my end, the competition organizer, it was fantastic for the brothers to hear a tathkira (reminder) mid-way through each competition night to hear 5 minutes from a FAMSY speaker about Islam. Reinforcing our learning on Islam through Tathkira’s via these events is a great way to increase brotherhood and bring us closer to Allah (swt).

We ask Allah (swt) to bless these programs and to strengthen the bond of brotherhood amongst our community and the global Ummah at large. Ameen.