Helas Brno has announced the signing of two of Czech futsal's leading players — national team members Radim Zaruba and Michal Zeidler. Both were finalists in last year's "Futsal Player of the Year" award and were named to the league's Team of the Season, club representative Jan Sadílek confirmed.
For 31-year-old Zaruba, the move marks a homecoming of sorts — he once played alongside Zeidler for Brno's Tango club. "Helas won me over with its ambitious vision. From the very first talks I could feel that something exciting was being built here, and I wanted to be part of it," the player said.
Zaruba's role at the club won't be limited to the court: he'll also take on the position of sporting director at partner football club SK Řečkovice and will share his expertise at the Orel Řečkovice futsal academy, where children begin training as young as five. He'll also join a new project with Mendel University focused on nutrition for young athletes.
Michal Zeidler, meanwhile, is returning to where his professional career first began — Tango Brno. "Helas has enormous potential, and I believe we can build a team that regularly competes for the top spots," he said, adding that being closer to his family also played a key role in his decision.
In Brno, Zeidler will be reunited with Zaruba — his partner both on the national team and at Chrudim. He also teased a new expanded support project for young players, with details set to be revealed by the club in August, and he'll oversee the academy's youth squads.
Helas Brno owner Petr Lesenský stressed that signing both players isn't simply about strengthening the first team but part of a long-term strategy for developing futsal in Brno. "Our goal is for Helas to consistently compete for the top places in Czech futsal, while also raising not just talented players but decent people," he said, noting that the club now brings together such names of Czech futsal as David Čupák, Tomáš Halia, Lukáš Rešetár, Martin Bruňa — and now Zaruba and Zeidler as well.
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Source: brnan.cz