Vahirua has signed a partnership which could see groups from Tahiti travelling regularly to Ligue 1 club FC Nantes for training camps.
After spending 16 years in the world of professional football in France and Greece, Vahirua called time on his professional career to return to his native Tahiti.
Since then, he’s travelled to Brazil with the national team to take part in the FIFA Confederations Cup and brought his brand of football to the region’s premier club competition the OFC Champions League where he turned out for 2014 semi-finalists AS Pirae.
But at the back of his mind the 34-year-old wanted to give something back, which is why he started Les Stages de Foot Marama Vahirua, a school for local aspiring footballers.
“I want to share everything I’ve learned in all these years of professionalism, with the children of our country,” he states.
The programme allows children to play in the boots of a professional over a short period of time in a fun, inspiring environment.
The programme launched in late-June 2014 in Moorea and Vahirua this week travelled to France to meet with a number of former clubs, including FC Nantes – a side he won both the Coupe de France and national league title with.
The partnership expects to establish an exchange which will see the best players identified during Les Stages de Foot Marama Vahirua, and bringing them to FC Nantes to improve their technical and tactical knowledge.
The club is based in Nanges, Pays de la Loire and currently sits in seventh place in the Ligue 1 standings.

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