The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) will be hosting a national football tournament for grade six students throughout the country from 19 to 27 September in Honiara.
The National Kids Football and Cultural Festival has been in the SIFF pipeline since 2008 after SIFF participated in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Kids Football Festival held in New Caledonia.
The concept was expanded to also include a cultural aspect. The children will have the opportunity to listen to presentations, watch cultural performances and also make their own presentations of dances, stories and speeches.
Funding
SIFF has sought funding from both corporate sponsors and also within the football family.
Local telecommunications company Our Telekom – already a sponsored of two major SIFF football events this year – will again be the major corporate sponsor for the National Kids Football and Cultural Festival. This is within Our Telekom’s overall sponsorship schedule with SIFF for 2009.
Upon SIFF’s request, FIFA has also pledged financial assistance and equipment for the National Kids Football and Cultural Festival. FIFA is supporting the event as a pilot project. The international football mother body is supplying two hundred soccer balls as well as other equipment including bibs and markers to be used at the tournament.
Objectives
The event encompasses two main objectives: Firstly, the National Kids Football and Cultural Festival aims to bring together young children to play the world game at the national level; Secondly, the tournament shall provide an avenue for cultural exchange for the children.
Another aim of the National Kids Football and Cultural Festival is to identify young footballers who have the potential to excel at the national and international level.
Participation
SIFF is inviting all its Affiliated Provincial Football Associations (PFAs) to send two primary school teams each to the National Kids Football and Cultural Festival. Each team will have 15 players composed of 10 boys and five girls. SIFF is expecting up to three hundred and sixty footballers, including officials, to take part in the event.
Other Information
SIFF is extending its invitation to the other organizations like Save the Children, Commonwealth Youth Program, World Wide Fund for Nature and Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association to take part in the event. SIFF sees the event as an opportunity for leaders in the community to reach out to young Solomon Islanders and help them to realise their place in society.
Courtesy of SIFF Media