SOUTH TARAWA - Each year the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Youth Festival welcomes a raft of new smiling faces from around the region and the third edition in Noumea is no different.

Kiribati - an island nation comprising 32 atolls and one raised coral reef will send a team of budding under 12 footballers to Stade Pentecost and Stade Numa Daly to make new friends, meet world famous stars such as Christian Karembeu and Zinedine Zidane - and dream of qualifying for the Danone Nations Cup 2009.

Kiribati youngsters will travel to New Caledonia with a squad of ten boys and two girls lead by Tuanako Bouto and Kireata Ruteru as twenty teams descend on the French Overseas Territory of New Caledonia for the three day event featuring twenty teams from around the region.

VANUATU won the OFC U-12 Festival of Football in 2007 - will it be Kiribati turn this year? 

KIRIBATI SQUAD for the OFC Youth Festival - 2008

1. Nawaia KOURA; 2. Tekaie TABERANTEANG; 3. Eriko IOTEBA; 4. Tokamaen RABAERE; 5. Waiang BUREIETA; 6. Kaibaua KAITABA; 7. Mwakurita IOAA; 8. Tereia NATIBU; 9. Tebwaara MATIOTA; 10. Teitia TETABO; 11. Boraia TERIIKIAI; 12. Tekanimaeu IETE

Coach: Tuanaku BOUTU

Head of Delegation: Kireata RUTERU

Assistant Coach: Tikai ARTERA

Official: Korabi NENEM 

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT KIRIBATI

Population: 132,000

President: Anote Tong

Official Language: English

Independent: 12th July 1979 (from United Kingdom)

Currency: Kiribati dollar/Australian dollar

The republic of Kiribati is made up of three seperate island districts called Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands and Line Islands. Originally it was comprised of six islands. The indigenous name for the Kiribati Islands is "Tungaru" but upon independence the people chose "Kiribati" as the name for the new state.