Andre Caro “Futsal opened doors for me in Brazil, Australia and now takes me to the UAE”

Today, we are speaking with Andre Caro who has been appointed the U20 and the Senior Team Assistant Manager of Al Nasr in the UAE, Dubai. Andre before we discuss your new venture to Dubai, for those who don’t know you let’s start with a chat about your background and experience.

Futsal Focus: You have been involved in Futsal promotion, development, playing and coaching in Melbourne, Australia for many years but can you tell us about your experience prior to Australia and why did you move there?

Andre: I was born and raised in Campinas, Brazil. I grew up playing futsal from a very young age and later like a lot of people, had a passion to try football (soccer), playing at state level when I was 13 and 15 years old. The following year I had the opportunity to travel to Spain, Malaga to play football there, which was an incredible experience though I got homesick and had to go back home to my family in Brazil. I soon realised though that I was born to play futsal and when I was 17 years’ old I signed with the famous Pulo Futsal Campinas, where I played for a few years, and competed at the highest level you can compete at in the world, the Sao Paulo State Championship.
During my last year of U20’s, I made a life-changing decision to quit playing futsal in Brazil and make the big move to Australia. I had a friend in Australia, Melbourne who helped me with the move and introduced me to Futsal Oz and Pascoe Vale Futsal Club, now call Melbourne Lions Futsal Club. Was it an easy decision? Was I nervous? There was a lot of things going around in my head, but the decision to go is one that I would make time and time again.

Futsal Focus: Since arriving in Australia, you have had a varied experience there, can you tell us what your highlights were and what your time in Australia did to help you develop?

Andre: My biggest goal since arriving in Australia has been about developing and growing the game I love. Futsal in Australia has provided me with some amazing opportunities and has helped me grow as an individual. Examples of highlights would be:

• Building / Captaining Pascoe Vale Futsal Club: I had the honour of developing this club to become one of the most successful teams in Australia winning multiple championships. I have been involved in with the club for 10 years.
• Coaching: I have coached thousands of players and I am honoured to have seen many of them grow into talented individuals and teams.
• Futsal Oz: I have been working at Futsal Oz since I landed in Australia and I have seen the company grow from a local 2 court centre, into a large worldwide recognised company. From being a junior coach to becoming a centre manager and event organiser for Futsal Oz Live and the much anticipated Junior Nationals Tournament, I have been a part of their amazing team for 10 years.
• Opportunities: In 2017, I played in the UEFA Futsal Cup for Regensburg in Germany as well as many other overseas tournaments. I have been able to grow my brand “Andre Caro Futsal” on social media which has opened up the doors to many sponsorships like my current ones, Desporte Japan and Alpha Elite.

Futsal Focus: Now that you are moving to the UAE, how did this opportunity come about and why did it interest you?

Andre: The club manager has been following me on social media for many years. I turned down an offer a year ago due to personal circumstances. A few months ago, I was approached again after a live interview with the head coach Rafael Fogageiro, who said he would love to have me as his assistant coach.  The opportunity to work alongside Rafael in Dubai for an amazing and well structured club, Al Nasr Futsal CIub, is something you can not miss out on.

Futsal Focus: What are your own development goals from this experience at Al Nasr?

Andre: I am excited to share my skills and knowledge with the club and I look forward to working alongside and against some amazing Futsal professionals. A personal goal for me is that I want to continue to learn the game on a deeper level and help the Senior and U20’s team become champions.

Futsal Focus: You have signed for one season in the UAE, therefore, do you plan to take what you learn back with you to Melbourne or do you want to continue coaching abroad?

Andre: All of the knowledge I have gained from my experiences I will eventually bring back to Australia, but for now all of my focus is on Al Nasr and the upcoming season. The future is not set in stone and things will be determined in due time. I will be documenting and sharing everything on my social media channels.

Futsal Focus: There are many people who are not sure what futsal as an industry can offer them, whilst others involved may never leave their own countries. From your experience and the opportunities futsal have presented you, what advice would you give to those to get involved in futsal and to those nervous to go abroad?

Andre: Opportunities will not come straight to you, it takes hard work and dedication to be recognised but with that hard work doors will eventually open, futsal opened doors for me in Brazil, Australia and now takes me to the UAE. You need to start from the basics and dedicate your time to your passion. My advice and something that has worked for me is to work on yourself every day outside of working hours. This means doing things such as studying the game, training long hours, putting yourself out there, sharing the knowledge of the game with others and being open to new opportunities that may present themselves. There is risk involved but you will never know until you try.

Thank you Futsal Focus for the interview and your continuous support of the game!
Andre Caro #TheDoctor

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