Ten of the 11 Member Association were represented at a FIFA TV Regional Seminar for Media Officers in Auckland, New Zealand which was held in conjunction with the opening match days of the FIFA tournament in Auckland.
OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says the seminar was a legacy that will lead to the upskilling of each and every one of the media officers who attended.
“When FIFA told us about this event we thought it was a great opportunity for the media officers in our region. They got to see a live match, behind-the-scenes of the broadcast operation and gain some insight into the level of operations that goes into a major FIFA event,” Nicholas explains.
The group spent two days together, under the guidance of FIFA TV Senior Event Manager Paul Calder and FIFA TV Quality Control Manager Anthony Davies, where they were introduced to the International Broadcast Centre including the main control room, quality control room and edit suites, were given some background on Media Rights and the role of FIFA Media Officers and Broadcast Venue Managers before inspecting the FIFA TV live outside broadcast unit at North Harbour Stadium.
For many of the participants their day-to-day role is an isolating one in which they are the sole operators in the media sphere for their respective Member Associations.
The chance to witness a FIFA World Cup event in the flesh was a first for the majority of participants who relished the opportunity to be involved.
New Caledonia’s media officer Romain Painbeni praised the intiative and its timing.
“For me it’s a good experience to be reunited with all my Oceania colleagues, but also during this competition because it’s a very big marketing and media operation,” he said.
The timing of the seminar fell favourably for Solomon Islands Football Federation media officer Joseph Boso.
SIFF recently re-emerged from Normalisation and Boso says the seminar has helped renew the passion he has for his job.
“I think personally it’s been a great challenge for me the last three years and coming to this workshop has reignited a passion and spark for media,” he explained.
“When we come together like this we motivate each other as we can share in the challenges each of us face. I think the direction we’re going in with cameras and so on, is the right one. The power of media is strong and in the Solomon Islands working with our major sponsor we’ve been able to touch on every aspect of media in some sense.
“But the next step for us is definitely television and we really want to make an impact.”
While Painbeni and Boso have been in their roles for some time and have a clear understanding of their respective media landscapes, for others it was an interesting two days learning the ins-and-outs of an unfamiliar industry.
Samoa Football Federation media officer Tanya Bryce didn’t have a strong background in media prior to her appointment earlier this year.
“I’m new to this role and this was an awesome opportunity for me. Coming here I had no idea about broadcasting, media rights or TV rights,” Bryce said.
“But I’ve been able to capture the knowledge from everybody who has been in media for some time so thank you. I’ve got some good ideas about where to start and how to advance. I think for me I need some more training to really start to make an impact in Samoa.”
The FIFA TV Regional Seminar for Media Officers was held on the 2-3 June in Auckland, New Zealand.
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