The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has today confirmed the date and kick-off time for the home-and-away 2007 O-League Final between New Zealand’s Waitakere United and Ba from Fiji.
The first leg of the home-and-away final series will be played on Saturday 21 April 2007 (kick-off 3pm) at Govind Park in Ba, with the return leg scheduled for Auckland’s Mt. Smart Stadium on Sunday 29 April 2007 (kick off 2pm).
Excitement is already building in Ba, where a bumper crowd is expected to pack Govind Park, to cheer their local heroes. The attendance of games outside of New Zealand has impressed OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas.
“For OFC the O-League has been a huge success in terms of taking club football back into the islands, the crowds in the islands have been excellent for the first year of this league.
I’d also like to congratulate Waitakere United for thinking outside of the square in taking the match to Mt. Smart Stadium.”
Waitakere United’s home ground Douglas Field – part of the Trusts Stadium facility in Henderson – is unavailable for the match and is currently undergoing refurbishment, including the construction of a grandstand which will be ready for the 2007/08 New Zealand Football Championship and 2008 O-League.
Waitakere United Executive Chairman Rex Dawkins is excited about the prospect of the return leg, despite playing “away” from home.
“There were a number of factors to take into account when deciding on where to play our home fixture, and with the assistance of OFC and stadium management we have been able to secure a fantastic facility at Mt. Smart Stadium.
We’re hoping for a good crowd given the importance of the fixture and the fact we are representing New Zealand in the final. We are also conscious of the huge interest from the local Fijian population and have no doubt they will add to the atmosphere on the day. The nearby University-Mt. Wellington club has forged strong links with the Fijian football family, and there are a number of clubs based in South Auckland with Fijian ties. We want as many people as possible to come out and support the match – with the majority be supporting us of course!”
The winner of the 2007 O-League will advance to a December playoff with the J-League (Japanese) champion in Japan, with the winner of that match qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup.