The two organisations signed an MOU during the PITA Conference in Sydney recently outlining how they will work together to facilitate the distribution of OFC footage through internet and mobile phone networks.
OFC President Reynald Temarii says he is looking forward to working with PITA to overcome some of the challenges associated with telecommunications in the region.
“It makes sense to work with PITA to have football on new mediums in our region like mobile and internet as an alternative to television and radio,” said President Temarii.
“Producing and providing football content to our member associations in partnership with telecommunication companies means that we can increase the penetration of the sport across the region and deliver OFC’s social responsibility messages to a wider audience.”
PITA President Maui Sanford says the MOU is visionary in the sense that OFC is keeping ahead in the ever-changing world of telecommunications.
“I would like to thank OFC President Reynald Temarii for this initiative as the first sports code to partner with PITA,” said Sanford.
“Our members will work closely with OFC using new technologies to showcase football and its community messages across the region.”
Based in Fiji, PITA is a non-profit regional organisation dedicated to improving, promoting and enhancing communications services within the Pacific. Its members include telecommunications entities in Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand.
The association has agreed to facilitate partnerships between OFC and individual PITA members for the delivery of sports content across the region. PITA will also keep Oceania football’s governing body updated with the latest developments in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).
The MOU comes off the back of a ground-breaking broadcast agreement between OFC and Triangle and Stratos Television that will see wider TV coverage of football across the region starting with the 2010 O-League.