A Special General Meeting of the Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation (SFSF) was held over the weekend at Tuanaimato Football Complex following an official re-opening ceremony for the number one field by OFC President Reynald Temarii and the Honourable Acting Prime Minister Fiame Naomi.
President Temarii says the impressive renovation bodes well for the future of Samoan football.
“Colin Tuaa and his close team of staff are to be commended for managing this period of rehabilitation over the past few months. The playing facilities are now superb and this will naturally lead to an increase in football activities,” said President Temarii.
Founded in 1968, the SFSF has been through a challenging period recently with FIFA setting up a normalisation committee in December 2008 to administer and manage football in the country.
With former New Zealand International Colin Tuaa appointed interim chairman and Toetu Petana becoming vice-chairman, the committee has since worked hard to develop the football infrastructure, improve administrative practices and rebuild the sport.
The purpose of the Special General Meeting at the weekend was to approve the new statutes for the future of Samoan football.
Attended by eleven of the twelve affiliated clubs, Tuaa opened the meeting by highlighting the achievements of the committee since its establishment.
“The facilities here have been refurbished and upgraded, notably the number one pitch but also the number four ground which is now in the process of being developed,” said Tuaa.
“Key staff have been recruited in compliance with the OFC Financial Assistance Programme regulations and I am also pleased to advise that a significant amount of the debt owed to creditors since the normalisation period began has been repaid. We have also established a full calendar of competitions including men’s and women’s national leagues, a national youth tournament, a business house seven-a-side tournament and a five-a-side school tournament.”
Tuaa presented a plethora of other achievements including the launch of a national identification process and participation in FIFA/OFC courses by a number of Samoan representatives. He also paid a special tribute to Desmond Faaiuaso who this year became the first Samoan player to sign with a New Zealand Football Championship franchise.
Glenn Turner, FIFA Development Officer for Oceania, says FIFA and OFC have worked closely with the normalisation committee to develop a long-term strategy known as the ‘roadmap’.
“The federation’s Long Term Development Plan 2009 – 2011 has been finalised in collaboration with the member clubs and provides the administration with a detailed plan for football activities and functional needs in terms of management, communication and infrastructure,” said Turner.
“With the support of FIFA and OFC, the outlook for Samoan football is bright, particularly under the leadership of Colin Tuaa. Drawing on his Samoan heritage, Tuaa has brought passion to the role and is determined to put the right people and systems in place so that in the coming years Samoa’s youth, men’s and women’s teams will once again be competitive.”
In other matters, the committee:
• Approved the decision to expel the six non-affiliated clubs from the committee; the key factor being their non-support of the normalisation process and initial refusal to affiliate in December 2008. The concerned clubs will have an opportunity to apply in the future and be accepted if they satisfy the criteria set by the committee but will have no voting rights until after the elective congress scheduled for December 2010.
• Approved the decision for Betham & Co to become the SFSF Normalisation Committee auditors.