Despite her lengthy spell away from the Fiji national women’s side, the defender has been included in coach Usenio Logaivau’s training squad for the upcoming Pacific Games and is right in the frame to make the final cut.
The Savusavu resident is certainly not without belief in her potential to be included in the 20-strong Games line-up.
“I think I will be one of the players that makes it,” she says. “I have the fitness, skills and heart to help the Fiji women’s side bring a gold medal back home.”
Yaya represented Fiji at the OFC U-20 Women’s Championship in 2006 but took a break from playing the world game soon after to take up refereeing.
It was another Fijian match official, Finau Vulivuli, who inspired her to do so. Vulivuli is the nation’s leading female referee and took control of a group match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup this month in Germany.
“I was still playing in 2006 but there were not many women’s competitions around at the time,” Yaya explains. “So when Finau approached me to get involved with refereeing I was interested. I went on to attend various referees courses and officiated in matches.”
The football enthusiast took part in the 2010 Battle of the Giants women’s tournament in her homeland as a match official and it was during this event that she became tempted to strap on the boots once more as a player.
“I was on the sidelines watching the other girls play and felt inspired to take up football again as I knew I was still in the same age-group as a lot of the other players,” Yaya says.
The next step was to put the first stages of her comeback in motion by turning out for Labasa during the Women’s Inter District Championship in Suva.
She performed impressively enough to catch the eye of coach Logaivau and was included in the extended Pacific Games squad, surviving the first cull to make the current line-up of 25.
Yaya is determined to avoid being one of the five players left out for the Games and says motivation will not be a problem if she makes it to New Caledonia.
“If given the chance, I will give 100 per cent to make my country proud.”
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