A crowd of up to 150 people turned up at the Henderson Airport and the atmosphere was filled with excitement as the squad’s flight touched down and taxied towards the terminal.
Friends, families and supporters were among the welcome party, as well as staff from sponsors Our Telekom and a pair of beauty pageant winners – Miss Solomon Islands and the Our Telekom Queen.
On their arrival, the players were given Our Telekom t-shirts and caps and were garlanded with flowers by their relatives.
One of the players, Coleman Makau, was adorned with the traditional tafuliae (Malaitan shell money) by his family in appreciation of his achievement at the championship.
The local media were also out in force at the arrival, interviewing players and members of the team management as they emerged.
A 40-vehicle procession was led from the airport by the Kurukuru team members and proceeded westward towards White River, where they turned back and headed to the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) headquarters.
Members of the public waved and cheered as the parade rolled through town. Some people came out of their offices to cheer the Kurukuru team as they drove past.
Captain Elliot Ragomo says his team expected some sort of welcome but what they encountered was overwhelming.
“We knew there would be a welcome like we have usually had in the past but this is beyond what we could have imagined,” he says. “We wish to thank our parents, Our Telekom and SIFF for organising this.”
The best was yet to come for the futsal heroes. Our Telekom marketing manager Robertson Szetu later handed over 15 brand new 3G mobile phones to the Kurukuru team.
“We always knew you would come back as champions because you have worked hard and prepared well,” Szetu said to the appreciative Kurukuru team management and players.
The formal welcome ceremony for the team will be held this weekend.
Story and photo courtesy of SIFF Media.
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