The Tahiti Football Federation (FTF) celebrated the inauguration of their Technical Development Centre in Pirae following the Oceania Football Confederation Extraordinary Congress yesterday.
FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner, FIFA General Secretary Dr. Urs Linsi, FTF President Eugene Haereraaroa, OFC President Reynald Temarii, and representatives from other confederations and local Tahitian clubs gathered to mark the opening of the federation’s first ever dedicated to football only training facility.
FTF’s Eugene Haereraaroa said the Technical Development Centre would enable the FTF to implement a raft of Development Programmes to help prepare national teams from all levels to prepare for OFC tournaments.
Haereraaroa said it was also a clear indication of FTF’s commitment to improving women’s and youth football and represented an investment for the health of future football in Tahiti.
AS Pirae striker, Naea Bennett, and his father, Errol Bennett, were amongst those in attendance and both were optimistic that the Technical Development Centre would be beneficial for Tahitian football.
The Goal project took just 14 weeks to construct and will cater for the marked increase in numbers of children playing football throughout Tahiti. The French-Polynesian Government made a significant contribution to the project with the provision of land.
FTF were have also created a Beach Soccer training facility in partnership with a neighbouring primary school.
Local Pirae authorities assisted FTF to obtain all the necessary approvals and permits and necessary landscaping.