🎙️ Alexia Karrys-Stahl — The Reality of Women’s Futsal in Australia

🎧 Listen to the full podcast here:

We sat down with Alexia Karrys-Stahl on the latest episode of the Caro Futsal Podcast — one of the key players from the Australian Women’s National Futsal Team.

This wasn’t just a normal chat.There was a lot of honest talk about what’s really going on in women’s futsal in Australia right now.

How it all started

Alexia grew up playing football first, like most players here.

But futsal was always there.

“Any chance to play with the round ball, I loved it… futsal gave me more touches and more involvement.”

That love for the game is what kept her in it.

Why NSW is so strong

We had to ask the question — why does NSW keep producing most of the national team players?

Her answer was pretty straight up:

“There’s a bigger pool of players, more coaches, more competitions… it’s very competitive.”

She also spoke about how important her club UTS has been:

“The information we get at training… it’s incredible.”

That preparation makes a difference when players step into the national team environment.

Winning Nationals

Alexia just won Nationals with NSW — and it wasn’t easy.

“Every game was competitive… any team can win on any day.”

That’s the level right now.

Wearing the Australian jersey

This was probably one of the best parts of the episode.

You can hear how much it means.

“I have goosebumps just talking about it… it was incredible.”

The team went 4 from 4 in the AFC qualifiers and qualified top of the group.

Massive start.

The reality check at AFC

Then came the tougher part.

“They’ve been training together all year… it’s hard to compete when you’ve only had a short time together.”

That’s the gap right now.

Not talent — preparation.

ASEAN — where everything changed

This is where you really see what this team is about.

“We have a saying — fight the fight.”

They showed it in the semifinal against Indonesia.

https://youtube.com/shorts/VcMgVmzWCFg?si=TI7jHlvFsklrKkZK

“We never gave up… we played until the last second.”

That’s how they made the final.

Not luck — mentality.

Football vs futsal

This was one of the most honest answers in the whole podcast.

“If futsal had the same pathways as outdoor… I would have 100% committed to futsal.”

That pretty much sums up the situation in Australia.

What needs to happen next

We asked her what Australia actually needs right now.

Her answer was simple:

“A national league… where teams travel and play each other regularly.”

More games.More competition.

That’s it.

The level worldwide

When talking about the top level, she mentioned:

“Spain, Portugal, Argentina… they’re just so technical.”

That’s the benchmark.

This episode gives you a real look at where things are at.

The team is new.The pathway is still building. But the level is improving fast.

And one thing is clear — this group is not backing down.

“We’re here to compete.”

🎧 Listen to the full podcast here: