WHEN Flynn Fittler's mother Alison told him he had been selected to represent Australia in futsal, he thought she was joking.
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"Later on that night he was still asking 'Are you sure, mum?'," she said.
The 11-year-old Rathmines resident will represent the nation in Malaysia next June after his outstanding performance at the Australia Futsal National School titles in Bendigo.
Flynn left the tournament before the national teams were announced, and said he was shocked when he found out days later.
"I was really surprised - I thought it was a joke," he said.
Flynn played for Northern NSW, who made it to the semi-finals, and was the only NSW player selected in his age division national team.
The team will tour Malaysia to play a number of that country's representative teams, including the national side.
Futsal is a modified form of soccer. It is played with five players per side on a smaller, typically indoor, pitch.
Flynn said one of the main differences between futsal and soccer is the speed it's played at.
"[Futsal is] really fast, exciting and based on skill," he said.
Flynn will be getting some tips from uncle and former Socceroo Darren Stewart, who coached a top-tier team in Singapore's S League this year.
"He said that the Malaysian players are really quick, they pass a lot, and are very skillful," Flynn said.