OFC News

Hot on the heels of the reintroduced Solomon Cup, the football family of Honiara will again be treated to a week soccer festival when the National Club Championship kicks off next week (February 20).

Eight champion clubs from the Solomon Islands provinces of Guadalcanal, Rennell and Bellona, Western, have confirmed their availability with a further three clubs from Honiara to be confirmed.

Mobile Cools (Central FA), Kuara FC (Guadalcanal FA), Maffi United (Isabel FA), New Jersey (Makira Ulawa FA), Aimela (Malaita FA), Tematangi (Renbel FA), Ngaube FC (Temotu FA), Camp United (Western FA) plus the three Honiara FA clubs will vie to see who will represent the Solomon Islands at the 2006 OFC Club Championships, New Zealand in Auckland from 10 - 21 May.

Honiara FA will confirm its three top clubs after the completion of the HFA Telekom Super Challenge this weekend.

The champion Solomon Island club will form one of the eight sides in New Zealand, and will join AS Pirae (Tahiti), Sobou FC (PNG), and United Eagles (Fiji) as confirmed starters at the final competition.

The Solomon Islands has been drawn in Group A with the New Zealand club champion, Sobou FC (Papua New Guinea), and AS Pirae (Tahiti). Group B features, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and United Eagles (Fiji).

The top two clubs from each pool will go forward to the semi finals. The winner of the OFC Club Championship will qualify for the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan in December 2006.

From 2007, the competition will move to a home and away format, with matches played around the region.

Honiara's Makuru FC represented the Solomon Islands in Tahiti in 2005.