The Bastion Insider :- How did you feel when approached by Zoca Bastion about being involved in the set up?
Chris Sacramento :- Although i have always been aware of the Futsal League in Gib, before being approached by Moe, i did not know how much work was actually involved in the running of a team. During our initial conversations, i was explained the current set up regarding existing management, what they wanted from me and the ambitions of the club moving forward. I was very impressed with what i heard and the amazing work done so far so didn't take much to convince me to join. I joined the management and council for dinner for an informal meeting and the rest is history and have not regretted one minute since i joined.
The Bastion Insider :- What has been the best moment you have experienced with the team so far?
Chris Sacramento :- I have had quite a number of great moments with the team, both on match days as well as social gathering/team bonding nights out. Although the one that really stands out for me was the 1-1 draw with Europa FC. This match was our very first point after promotion to the premier, an extremely tough match and low scoring one considering the nature of this sport. The boys played their hearts out and the hard work paid off, the atmosphere after the match was electric and we all felt great belief that we deserved to be playing at this level with the big boys and not just making up the numbers.
The Bastion Insider :- What do you feel is your best quality in your current role?
Chris Sacramento :- My role is Operations Manager, this involves a lot of behind the scenes work. There are a few areas i am involved for; liaising with GFA, ensuring players are uploaded on to the Online System COMET and on Match day assisting our Manager in the technical area. The part i enjoy the most and perhaps somewhere where i bring most expertise in, is in compiling team data and statistics, from training attendances, number of goals, assists and cards on match days. Data is an important tool in today's society when analyzing players performances and seeing what areas can be improved on to achieve maximum performance.
"The core values of this club are solid and everybody is eager and motivated to take this project to the next level"
The Bastion Insider :- How have you seen the team evolve since you first joined?
Chris Sacramento :- When i joined Zoca Bastion just under 4 years ago we were a second division team. The work that has gone into the development of the club has been incredible, this being mainly spearheaded by the Presidents Karl Ullger & Moe Botawala. Their efforts have involved increasing and shaking up the manner of training sessions to make them more professional, finding new talent and off the field work such as maintaining good sponsorhip ties and expanding branding of our kits suppliers. The appointment of Chris Currer as our head coach more recently has now added an extra dimension of enthusiasm and has changed our philosophy of play. The results speak for themselves, after great work from our previous management in getting us to the Premier promise land, we now intend on staying there.
The Bastion Insider :- What developments do you think could happen within the team in the future?
Chris Sacramento :- Its funny the majority of those who have been part of the club and left are always there to assist when called and needed. This says a lot about the values and commitment within the club as well as the positive atmosphere within, which makes being part of Zoca very attractive. The core values of this club are solid and everybody is eager and motivated to take this project to the next level. Given the fantastic culture within this team i think the future does look positive, our further success on the field is now a matter of putting points on the table and establishing ourselves as a Premier outfit for years to come. With the quality players we have, continuous work from our backroom staff and the ever growing fan base of "Ultras" supporting and cheering us on whilst beating the Drum, WHY NOT!