Discussions and debate began in earnest today in Auckland as the The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Strategic Workshop to define the 'Win in Oceania with Oceania' initiative springs into life.

The project initiated by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and the OFC President Reynald Temarii is to leave an "Oceania legacy" throughout football in the region. The Strategic Workshop is designed to discuss the creation of football programmes in the following key areas of education, capacity building and empowerment, national identity and international recognition, public health, economic opportunities and community development.

OFC President Reynald Temarii and OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas have designed the Strategic Workshop to discuss areas such as grassroots football, the strengthening of National Leagues, providing support for our elite teams, professionalising the management of football in Oceania, media and marketing, establish a database system for player registrations and competition administration, sports medicine and the hosting of FIFA events in OFC.

Local television viewers in Honiara will be able to see increase coverage of football activities following the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding between the Oceania Football Confederation, Solomon Islands Football Federation and local broadcaster One News last Saturday.

This includes provision of an office space at the SIFF Academy with complete TV equipment and cost for coverage both locally and overseas. According to the MoU One News will provide live coverage of the Tahiti vs. Solomon Islands Beach Soccer international from Tahiti in July 2007.

If the transmission is successful further discussions will take place to clarify further details of the agreement. OFC will provide 2 cameras to One News free of cost, a purpose built media facility, cost free satellite links to One News for coverage of Beach Soccer events.

Coverage costs for the FIFA World Cup and O-League match coverage will also be sought. SIFF will also receive $1000.00NZ per month for the employment of a Media Officer to be based within the One News office. The Media Officer will receive further training in Tahiti at an as yet unspecified date.

One News will provide 2 hours coverage on the One News Channel of key domestic football fixtures including S League, DJ League, Solomon Cup, National Club Championships. One News will also provide coverage of all Solomon Islands national team fixtures played at home and where possible away.

Oceania Football Confederation president Reynald Temarii formally announced to representatives of the local press four new appointments to FIFA committee.

Those appointed includes the SIFF President Martin Alufurai as an executive of the FIFA World Cup Committee, SIFF General Secretary Eddie Ngava to the Technical committee, local lawyer Charles Ashley to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and Robert Iroga to the FIFA Media Committee.

Besides them, president Temarii also announced SIFF Marketing Manager Vivian Wickham as one of three OFC Event Managers.

Temarii says with more than 250 million players and officials world-wide Solomon Islands is privileged to have four appointments.

Three hundred and sixty children in Solomon Islands will be able to complete their education thanks to the UBS Learn and Play project for making available finances to pay for their education.

OFC president Reynald Temarii purposely visited Honiara last week to formally announce the project.

He arrived on Thursday and made the formal announcement at a dinner organized by SIFF at the Honiara hotel.

Among the invited guests was the Minister of Education Dr. Derek Sikua, his permanent secretary Barnabas Anga other members of members of parliament and stake holders.

It was a fitting occasion to have president Temarii for the official announcement.

SIFF president Martin Alufurai in his remarks highlighted president Temarii's vision for Oceania saying the UBS project tie in well with that vision.

He pointed out that there was no unity in the Oceania footballing family prior to president Temarii's election as OFC's number one soccer boss in 2004.

"His election has brought stability to the Oceania region and now we are enjoying its benefits," said Alufurai

The SIFF president further added that Temarii's vision to develop football in the region has seen a sharp rise in football activities in recent times.

Referring to the UBS project, Alufurai said it the UBS project will benefit the under-privileged kids - especially those whose future is uncertain until the project was initiated.

He went further by assuring the OFC president of SIFF's support for his vision and more so football programmes he plans to implement during his term in office.

The UBS project was the brainchild of Urs Zanitti of FIFA who over the last two years worked tirelessly to ensure funds are made available for this purpose.

The Minister of Education Dr. Derek Sikua was overwhelmed with the project saying that his government fully supports the UBS Learn and Play Project.

He stressed that the project will provide education opportunities to 360 children aged between 12 and 15 with a third of them girls.

Because of the difficult economic situation, many parents cannot afford to send their children to school for the entire period of education.

However, the project will significantly improve the lives of those under-privileged children by providing them opportunity to continue their education with the prospects of job later says Dr. Derek.

The children will be selected according to precisely defined criteria and will take the normal subjects such as language, humanity and science.

Besides they will also take optional crafts subjects, which will prepare them for the World of Work.

Along with the high quality educational provision, soccer will also be on the timetable.

The Learn and Play project will see additional infrastructure built in three designated schools namely St. Josephs Tenaru, Aligegeo and Goldie College.

Such new development includes the construction of dormitories, classrooms and accommodation for coordinators and coaches.

Besides additional teaching staff will also be employed to ensure those intakes are catered for.

Last week, the regional coordinators and other stake holders spent two days going over the project details with FIFA Goal Development officer Glenn Turner and FIFA's technical man Urs Zanitti.

It is hoped that following this workshop, all parties involved in the project will be able to implement it and see that it is successful.

SIFF president Martin Alufurai says the Solomon Islands football community has Reynald Temarii to thank for the innovative idea to replace the old OFC Club Championship competition format where all participating countries congregated in one country to the home and away system.

This allows soccer fans of the participating countries the opportunity to see their big name players and those of the visiting club clash before their very own eyes.

Alufurai added that Temarii's presence in Honiara adds an extra boost to the excitement in Honiara and urged fans to come out in significant numbers for Monday's clash.

Monday's match is an important one for Marist FC and a win will greatly boost their chance of qualifying if they win all their scheduled matches in the Group B O-League competition.

The winner of Group B will progress to a two-legged final against the winner of Group A containing defending champions Auckland City, NZFC table-toppers Waitakere United and New Caledonia's top club AS Mont Dore. Auckland City currently sit on top of Group A with 4 points, Waitakere United are second with 1 point and AS Mont Dore are currently bottom following a 2-0 home defeat against Auckland City.

Group B's fixture list has been affected by last minute travel cancellations and no games have been played as yet. Ba FC and Marist FC are heavily favoured to contest the top spot in this section with AS Temanava of Tahiti struggling to find their form domestically.

Football fever has gripped Honiara as an army of fans in the Solomon Islands await the arrival of Fijian champions Ba FC for the mouthwatering O-League Group B match against Marist FC.

A capacity crowd is expected to swell Lawson Tama Stadium with the O-League dominating newspapers, radio and local television. O-League banners advertising the match hang draped above the bridge leading into the city centre and Lawson Tama Stadium itself.

The last international match played in Honiara saw the Solomon Islands take on the might of Australia for a place at the FIFA World Cup - Germany 2006 in front of a capacity crowd with thousands locked outside unable to obtain tickets taking to the hills and trees in an effort to catch a glimpse of the match any way they could.

A highly charged air of excitement and anticipation has been boosted by the presence of OFC president and FIFA vice-president Reynald Temarii.

Flights into Honiara have been booked out and with a huge influx of fans expected from the outer islands today and tommorrow.

Now Solomon Islands will host the glamour Fiji club Ba FC in what is billed to be showdown between the two Melanesian football powerhouses. Ba FC has dominated Fiji's Champion of Champion series almost totally winning 13 consecutive titles in a row. Only Labasa has secured a Champion of Champion title - back in 1993, ironically against Ba FC, during a 1-0 aggregate victory.

Planning and preparation for Marist FC's home match began shortly after the OFC announced new match schedules for Group B.

Today, sale of merchandise goods for both Marist and Ba FC's have started in a make-shift stall in the car park in front of the Lawson Tama ground.

All these activities plus the arrival of the OFC's soccer boss - President Reynald Temarii adds prominence to the highly charged soccer atmosphere already felt in the city.

Honiara city with a population of more than 50,000 residents is experiencing an influx of people mostly from the nearby islands. Flights into Honiara have also been booked out with people flocking into Honiara for this one off international match.

PNGFA Technical Director, Mr. Marcos Gusmao said he is building a strong Women's National team for PNG for the OFC Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in PNG this year.

The PNG Women's National Squad for the OFC Women's World Cup qualifying tournament is going through an intensive training at the PNGFA academy in Lae under PNGFA Technical Director, Marcos Gusmao with the assistance of Max Foster and Sussie Mileng.

The squad played a trial friendly match with PNG Power, a local women's team from Lahi Soccer Association in Lae at the last weekend wining 3 - 0.

Gusmao said he was very impressed with the girls' performance at the trial match. But that's not enough, he said, we need more work-out to improve on the weaknesses that were found in the trial match.

He said if all goes well with funding, the squad would travel to Brisbane for a further 3 weeks training in Australia. We are planning to play three international friendly matches with three different Australian women's teams.

He said he would get a clear picture of the team after this and believes the team will be very strong and ready for the challenge in April 2007.

Gusmao said six new girls have been recruited to the squad this week to take up the spaces left behind by students who cannot continue with the training because of the new school year. I will do my best to make sure new girls catch up with the others he said.

I am planning another friendly match with PNG Power again to be played on Sunday this weekend at the PNGFA academy.

FIFA's latest world rankings saw Fiji and Solomon Islands both move up a place as Italy displaced Brazil from top spot. Fiji - ranked 154 - move to 153 despite not playing any international friendlies in 2007. Solomon Islands are ranked 161.

The rest of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) member associations experienced mixed returns with New Zealand dropping two spots to 133. Samoa and Tonga are at 189 and 190 with Cook Islands ranked 198 and American Samoa ranked 199. Vanuatu dropped one place to 167 with Tahiti and New Caledonia unchanged at 173 and 175 respectively. Papua New Guinea also remain unchanged at 177.

Brazil's reign as the number one nation lasted four years and eight months but came to an end after a 2-0 defeat against Portgual in a friendly international last week. Italy, Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany comprise the top five nations.

FIFA Coca-Cola/World Rankings - OFC member associations

133 New Zealand

153 Fiji

161 Solomon Islands

167 Vanuatu

173 Tahiti

175 New Caledonia

177 Papua New Guinea

189 Samoa

190 Tonga

198 Cook Islands

199 American Samoa

Auckland's Maia Jackman has created history by becoming the first New Zealand woman to be selected to a world `All Stars' soccer team.

Jackman has been named in FIFA's 18-strong Women's World Stars selection to face hosts China in a promotional match on the eve of the draw for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The April 22 fixture in Wuhan will see Jackman, 31, line-up alongside the biggest names in the game including Brazilian superstar Marta, the 2006 FIFA World Women's Player of the Year.

Story courtesy of NZS Media

Jackman named in FIFA Women's World Stars Selection

Security for the Marist versus Ba FC match on Monday 19 will be beefed up says the committee organizing the event.

Arrangements are being put in place and SIFF has already liaised with the Solomon Islands Police to deploy their officers at the ground on Monday.

Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) has arranged a local security firm to organize guards to provide additional security inside the venue as in past international matches.

Details of the security arrangements will be made public in a Press Conference organized for this Wednesday at Lawson Tama.

It is a FIFA requirement that international football match venues are properly set up to international standards with security a top priority.

The general public is being assured of a trouble-free match and families are encouraged to come and enjoy the soccer actions at Lawson Tama.

With luck of international matches of late, it is anticipated that this one off international match between the two traditional rivals will attract a sizeable crowd to Lawson Tama.

Fiji has always provided Solomon Islands a stiff competition in soccer and it is anticipated they will come with one goal in mind - to beat Marist FC in Honiara in front of its home crowd.

Memories of their humiliating defeats at the hands of Makuru FC two years ago, when the two played off for a birth in the OFC champion's league is still fresh in their minds and they will want to avenge it here.

This sets the scene for the big showdown in Honiara and one that the soccer mad fans of the national capital and visitors from the provinces would not want to miss.

Fiji's senior national team last played in Honiara more than a decade ago and this Ba side has some players who are in their current national team.

Meanwhile, there will also be other activities organized for Monday as pre-match entertainment.