Football West is excited to announce the appointment of two of WA futsal’s most successful figures.
Nestor Fonseca and Thali Ziero Lunelli join the organisation as Futsal Pathways Coordinators. They will oversee its futsal program, from growing community participation to developing sustainable pathways and helping bring through high-performance players.
They will also be involved with building up the F-League competition.
The pair bring a wealth of elite playing, coaching and development experience to their roles.
Thali began playing in her native Brazil before enjoying a 14-year professional career in Italy’s Futsal Serie A. She is the current Australia Women’s Futsal National Team Assistant Coach, as well as coaching WA sides at the National Futsal Championships.
She said she wants people in WA to “fall in love” with futsal, as she did as a youngster.
“My passion for futsal started at a very young age, watching games every weekend and spending the week playing and training,” said Thali, who is also on the coaching team of Perth Azzurri’s New Balance NPL Women’s champions.
“After a decade-and-a-half as a professional player, completing my coaching licences and learning through courses with some of the biggest names in futsal, I decided it was time to move to the other side of the court.
“Today, I’m the Australia Women’s Futsal National Team Assistant Coach, lead Football West Futsal State Teams, and hold a postgraduate qualification in Video Analysis.
“My experience across high-performance coaching, player development, academies and state programs allows me to support players throughout the pathway, from junior development to elite futsal.
“My goal is to help people fall in love with futsal, support player development and create clear pathways from community participation to high performance.
“I’m excited to be part of Football West, working alongside Nestor to create more opportunities and continue growing futsal across WA, especially for the next generation.”
Nestor had 10 years as a top player in South America and Europe before moving into coaching. He has held key leadership roles within the WA futsal community and brings extensive strategic and operational expertise.
“Futsal has been my passion for over 25 years,” he said.
“My journey began as a high-level player in Colombia and France before I transitioned into coaching 15 years ago, learning from world-class coaches like Fernando Ferretti along the way. Paired with my qualifications in sport management, my background includes hands-on sports leadership and facility management.
“Working directly with local clubs, council members, and governing bodies has given me a deep, grounded insight into the WA Futsal community.
“My primary focus is on player development and building sustainable pathways for WA players, whether their goal is elite national representation or grassroots community participation.
“Having two Futsalroos and two Futsal Matildas from WA is a remarkable achievement, given our players’ current national exposure.
“I am thrilled to be part of the Football West team and am confident Thali and I will drive massive growth in local participation while expanding WA’s presence in national teams.”
Football West General Manager – Football David Lewis said: “We are delighted to bring in two people of the calibre of Nestor and Thali, and I am sure the WA futsal community will be equally excited by their appointments.
“Futsal is a fast-paced sport, and its popularity across WA is at an all-time high. Having two highly credentialed people such as Nestor and Thali to head our program is fantastic and we look forward to the sport continuing to thrive under their leadership.”
