The announcement was made at a SIFF-hosted welcome dinner for President Chung and OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas during their visit to the Solomon Islands last month and comes as good news to primary school students throughout the country wanting to become part of the LEARN&play programme in King George the Sixth School, Aligegeo School and Goldie College.
The additional funding totals NZD $50,000 and has been provided by the Government of Australia, which also supports OFC’s Just Play programme through its agencies the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).
LEARN&play is a SIFF initiative that allows students to study at the aforementioned schools and play football thanks to the handing out of scholarships.
Nicholas says OFC is looking at the LEARN&play model with interest as a successful example of a grassroots development programme.
“The LEARN&play project is a success and the approach with this new funding is to decide upon how the programme can be run in other member associations in the region,” Nicholas says.
SIFF President Martin Alufurai is grateful to OFC for making the funds available to the development of football in the Solomon Islands.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the OFC President and General Secretary for this assistance to the LEARN&play programme,” Alufurai says. “LEARN&play uses football to touch lives and is a testament to SIFF’s drive for education and football development in Solomon Islands.”
Alufurai also revealed that the LEARN&play programme will be adapted to link up with other grassroots programmes such as Just Play, a FIFA-approved OFC initiative which promotes physical activity and good health for primary school-aged children across the Pacific.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb