On hand to receive the championship trophies from FFAS President Iuli Alex Godinet and Vice-President Sandra Herrera was Black Roses’ Vice-President John Ott.
The trophies also came with $500 cash prize each for the men and women’s titles. Ilaoa & Toomata finished second in the men’s rankings and received $300 cash prize while last year’s defending champs, Pago Youth A, took home the $200 cash prize for placing third.
Last year’s winners PanSa took home the $300 cash prize for second place in the women’s division while the Tafuna Jets bettered their fourth place finish from last year to third in 2009 and received a $200 cash prize.
The competition was only two rounds away from being completed when the earthquake and tsunami hit on 29 September 2009. One week later, the club presidents met with Iuli and FFAS CEO Tavita Taumua and voted unanimously to end the competition and award the leaders as the winners for 2009.
Not all 10 clubs were represented at the Christmas party for FFAS’ club presidents as three — FC SKBC, Green Bay and Utulei Youth — clubs’ leaders are currently off the island.
This year’s party was also much smaller compared to 2008 because last year there were 20 clubs affiliated with FFAS and now that number is down to 10.
Due to new FFAS Statutes all clubs should be combined into one club under the same name instead of two separate men and women’s clubs under the same name. Because of that compliance the number of teams then dropped down from 20 to 10.
Iuli highlighted the recent OFC Executive Committee meeting held in the territory to the club presidents and told of its positive outcomes. He also talked of the progress in restoring the FFAS field back to its original condition pre-earthquake and tsunami days.
The president went on to say that the U-20 women’s nationa team, being coached by the MA’s Men’s Development Officer Ruben Luvu, is preparing for the OFC U-20 Women’s Championship New Zealand 2010 that will be held at North Harbour Stadium from 21-25 January.
The team recently moved back to the FFAS field in Pago Pago to train after holding their sessions at the Kananafou Theological Center since the middle of October.
A club presidents’ taualuga opened the official siva portion, followed by that of the FFAS secretariat and then closed by the president and his executive committe.