Success on the world stage in future years is the focus of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the key to success lies in the feet of the regions many thousands of young boys and girls and it is the role of OFC to assist our Member Associations to develop these talented youngsters in all aspects of life.
The OFC President Mr. Reynald Temarii (Tahiti) is a staunch believer in the potential of the region’s young boys and girls, “Children are like gold, they should be polished every day.”
From 2006 OFC has initiated an Under 12 Festival of Football concept, encompassing the not only the sport itself, but also embracing differences within the South Pacific region and teaching our youth vital life skills, culminating in a four-day celebration of Oceania culture.
The festival will use football as a learning tool, exposing the youth of the region to important experiences within the South Pacific, helping them to become more aware of their surroundings and the differences and uniqueness of the region. Football also provides a vehicle to disseminate information around key social awareness issues that currently face the children of Oceania including obesity, literacy, drug use and poverty.
The festival is open to entry for two teams from all of the Member Associations of OFC, namely American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Within these nations thousands of children will compete within their school or club teams in local qualifying events in an effort to attend the Festival of Football in Fiji.
Following communication with the Groupe Danone (France) it has been confirmed that the winner of the OFC U-12 Festival of Football will represent the region at the Danone Nations Cup to be held in Paris, France in September 2006, not only to facilitating the development of these talented children, but also further showcasing Oceania culture to a worldwide audience.
The Danone Nations Cup is the major International Cup for children aged 10 to 12 (www.danonecup.com), giving over 2.5 million children the opportunity to take part in an international tournament and to develop their passion for football and skills in the game. The children will experience and share the emotions of an international sporting event, recognised by FIFA and the national federations, and founded on team spirit and the sense of fair play.
The details of the 2006 OFC U-12 Festival of Football are as follows:
Dates
21 – 23 July 2006
Venue
Govind Park & Dr. MS Sahu Khan National Football Academy, Ba, Fiji
Teams
Nominations called for up to two (2) teams from each OFC Member Association
Format
Depending on final numbers, the Festival of Football will be played in group format followed by playoff matches.
The children will also participate in a day of cultural activities prior to the commencement of the football side of the festival.
OFC has selected Fiji as the host of this inaugural Festival of Football because of their commitment to developing youth football within their Member Association, they can ensure OFC has the appropriate logistics for this festival such as suitable accommodation, internal transport, and flights from other OFC countries, marketing, sponsorship and local organisation.
In future years it is envisaged the hosting of the Festival of Football will rotate around the region, exposing the different cultures of our diverse region to generation after generation of children.