Samoa Football Soccer Federation-Normalisation Committee (SFSF-NC) is delighted to announce the employment of four key operational staff members as it readies to reinstate full playing activities in 2009.
Following on from SFSF-NC’s Normalisation process and recent long term development workshop, the recruitment of the four core operational staff members represents another exciting step forward for Samoa Football.
The new employees are; Finance and Administration Officer Sarai Bareman, Competition’s Manager Stefan Szegedi, Media Officer Josephine Nickel-Leaupepe and Technical Director Tunoa Lui.
Media Officer Nickel-Leaupepe is a Samoan by birth. Nickel-Leaupepe has extensive local media experience having worked as a journalist for the Samoa Observer Daily Newspaper, then moving on to Television and Radio with the previous Samoa Broadcasting Corporation, now TV One, and having worked as a Sub-Editor/Translator for Parliamentary debates records in Parliament for the past year.
Nickel-Leaupepe says she is looking forward to co-ordinating public relations activities and all media initiatives for SFSF-NC with direction from CEO Colin Tuaa.
"Football is a great sport that has the potential to generate a solid and healthy future for young people in Samoa. This role enables me to play a valuable part in 
fulfilling that belief, by helping to create more awareness of the sport and how football is developing in the region.
"I believe it is important to show people what football has to offer both in the South Pacific and internationally and that it can offer a career path."
Finance and Administration Officer Bareman has over a decade of experience in the banking and finance industry in New Zealand.
Bareman is of Samoan and Dutch descent and has recently moved to Samoa permanently.
Having played in the women’s premier league in New Zealand, Bareman says she will bring her passion for football into the job.
"This is an exciting time to be joining the SFSF-NC team and I am passionate about contributing to the growth and development of Samoan Football," says Bareman.
"I look forward to seeing more Samoan faces on the football field at international and representative levels."
Competitions Manager Szegedi has lived in Samoa since 1984. Szegedi has a sales and marketing background with local retailer Treasure Box and has gained experience as a tournament director and captain of the Chanel Tennis Club in Moamoa.
Szegedi will be responsible for reinstating senior men’s and women’s club competition structures as well as junior activities, tournaments and co-ordinating playing activities for Samoa’s representative teams with guidance from Tuaa.
"I am looking forward to getting SFSF-NC’s senior men’s and women’s competitions back underway in the near future and especially the juniors program which we expect to be operational in the next few weeks," says Szegedi.
Technical Director Tunoa Lui joins SFSF-NC having previously worked as a technical assistant and development officer for the Football Federation American Samoa from 2000 to 2008. Lui is calling on all football fans to get behind the new developments.
"With these new positions we need the support of the public and the football family. This is a new beginning at uplifting the standard of representation of soccer in Samoa and we hope to work together with the public and the soccer family to continue to build on this fresh start."
SFSF-NC CEO Colin Tuaa says he is wrapped with the quailty of staff coming onboard.
"The completion of hiring our operational staff is a big step forward for this SFSF-NC," says Tuaa. "I am very excited about the broad range of skills and experience they bring to their respective roles. I am confident they will be successful and these roles will provide a great opportunity for all new staff to establish a career in football with many exciting events in the pipeline for Samoa and Oceania Football."
Story and photo courtesy of SFSF-NC Media