BEACH SOCCER KICKS OFF IN OCEANIA

The Oceania Football Confederation is set to host its first major beach soccer event in Moorea, French Polynesia from 31 August - 3 September.

"We are thankful that we are able to host our own FIFA qualifiers in our confederation and give it a real Pacific flavour" said OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas.

Initially the Oceania qualifiers were scheduled to be jointly held with the Asian event held in Dubai in May, but Tahiti proposed to host a tournament and a purpose-built facility at Temae Beach is now ready to host its first international matches.

"I doubt there are many settings in world football that are as picturesque as this; we hope that Moorea becomes a permanent fixture on the international beach soccer calendar.

"The natural geography of our region lends itself to this form of the game, and resource wise it provides an attractive alternative for some of our smaller National Associations, especially in terms of the simple things like not needing to have football boots" Nicholas continued.

The qualifiers will also be the first played under the new FIFA Beach Soccer Laws of the Game.

Teams from the Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the hosts Tahiti will vie to be the first OFC nation other than Australia and New Zealand to qualify for a FIFA world event. And while all have limited beach soccer experience all are enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead.

"For our confederation this will be a watershed moment, the first time an island team enters the world stage an event 40 years in the making"

Vanuatu has emerged as a leading contender to attend the World Cup in Brazil having kept their squad training since the build-up for the Dubai tournament. Under the tutelage of the experienced Uruguayan Carlos Buzetti the Melanesians will look to Jean Emmanuel Maleb and Seimata Chilia to lead the charge.

The hosts have previous beach soccer experience in player-coach Sebastien Labayen, while the Cook Islands have brought an inexperienced squad packed full of teenagers.

Rounding out the teams are the Solomon Islands with young up-and-coming coach Vivian Wickham in charge of a team that features hardened international Gideon Omokirio, Richard Anisua and rising star James Naka.

The tournament kicks off with neighbours Vanuatu and Solomons clashing, before the hosts Tahiti take on their close friends the Cook Islands. At the conclusion of the group stage the top two sides will contest the final to decide Oceania's representatives in Rio de Janiero. The team has been drawn in Group C with Portugal, Uruguay and an as-yet unknown African qualifier.