The action gets underway on Saturday with two Group A games, American Samoa versus Fiji and Vanuatu against Papua New Guinea, before attention turns to Group B on Sunday when New Caledonia meet Solomon Islands and Tonga take on Tahiti.
Defending champions New Zealand have a bye first up and will not begin the defence of their crown until facing Vanuatu on Monday while Cook Islands also have a bye before meeting New Caledonia on Tuesday.
The Young All Whites are favourites to retain the title but several of the sides in action tomorrow will be keen to show coach Steve Cain and his men that they will not be having things all their own way.
The well-prepared Fiji squad will be expecting nothing less than three points against American Samoa and have taken every step to make sure this will be the case.
Coach Hussain Sahib, a household name in Fiji after starring for the national side during his playing days, and his young charges arrived in New Zealand just after Christmas. It is hoped the early arrival will have given the players, many of whom are travelling for the first time, a chance to adjust to their new surroundings and acclimatise to the Auckland weather.
“The boys have gelled well,” Sahib says. “The team spirit and the bonding are there and they are well aware of what needs to be done.”
American Samoa are very much the underdogs of the tournament and coach Rupeni Luvu is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing his players.
“We are in a very tough group so we have had to train extremely hard,” he says. “But we are confident that these young men are working hard to hone their skills and levels of fitness.”
The other opening day clash is an intriguing match-up between two sides with genuine hopes of making it out of the group stages.
Vanuatu have plenty of experience under their belts after being involved in the previous OFC U-17 Championship in 2009. An U-15 side was sent to that event and coach Wilson August hopes the lessons learned then will hold his charges in good stead.
The youngsters found the going tough two years ago but things are likely to be much different this time.
“We know it’s not going to be easy for us because New Zealand and most of the other island teams are very good,” August says. “We have a lot of respect for all the teams but we want to show our pride in playing for Vanuatu.”
Given the impressive run Papua New Guinea football is currently enjoying, it would be no surprise if the national U-17 team wrote another chapter in what is becoming a remarkable success story.
The country’s finest female players made it all the way to the final of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup last September and this was swiftly followed by Hekari United’s appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates during December. The Port Moresby-based side fell to a 3-0 defeat against hosts Al-Wahda but their mere appearance on such a prestigious stage will have made the nation’s young footballers realise a pathway to the top is in place for those who perform well enough.
“We have all been inspired by the success of Hekari,” coach John Davani says. “The boys are all geared up to take on their first opponent in a tough pool.”