The competition, held recently at the FFS fields in Tuanai’mato, featured four Upolu Schools – Ah Mu Academy, Robert Louis Stevenson School (RLSS), Samoa Primary and Vaiala Beach School – with 48 teams shared between them. With a 5-a-side format, the schools were divided into four divisions for boys and girls; Year 1/2, Year 3/4, Year 5/6 and Year 7/8.
FFS Interim Chairman Colin Tuaa says the competition is the start of a huge investment in grassroots football development with some exciting initiatives set for Samoa in 2010.
“Key to grassroots development is establishing pathways firstly to our clubs that need to be well structured to cater for the growth. This will then provide a natural pathway to international development and beyond,” said Tuaa.
FFS headquarters at the J.S Blatter complex reverberated with laughter and noise as children from the participating schools sang, shouted and cheered their teams on. Parents and school staff alike were also excited about the competition and the benefits it offers to Samoan children.
“I think it’s an excellent idea. This (competition) has come at the right time. At school, our kids have been practicing a lot and they’re all coming to school in high spirits,” remarked Fiaapia Devoe, Principal of Robert Louis Stevenson School.
During his prize-giving speech to the schools, Tuaa said, “We are very happy to host this tournament. It has been an exciting three days for us as well and we wanted to make sure that you enjoyed the football.”
Each school received a certificate of participation and a sports equipment pack to assist with school physical education classes.
FFS’s commitment to junior football development will be strengthened with the introduction of future competitions. Next up on the calendar is the OFC Junior Coaching Course to be held from 15-17 December, with the aim of equipping local teachers with the necessary skills to develop the game in their schools.
The schools competition is an FFS initiative aimed at developing football at the grassroots level and is another example of the extensive progress being made in Samoa since FIFA established the normalisation process in December 2008. Under Tuaa’s tutelage, the normalisation committee has since worked tirelessly to improve the administration and management of football in Samoa and their efforts have been embodied in the announcement of a new set of statutes and confirmation of the federation’s long term development plan late last month.
Final standings
Boys
Year 1-2 RLSS Team 1
Year 3-4 Samoa Primary
Year 5-6 RLSS Team 2
Year 7-8 Samoa Primary
Girls
Year 1-2 Ah Mu Academy
Year 3-4 RLSS Team 1
Year 5-6 Ah Mu Academy
Year 7-8 Samoa Primary
Story and photos courtesy of FFS Media