TAHITI – Federation Tahitienne de Football (FTF) will kick-off 2008 with a youthful flavour with two grassroots development programmes kicking into life this Saturday in seperate
parts of French-Polynesia.
In Mahina over twenty seven football clubs will be represented by their junior members as coaches run a series of fun-orientated technical training sessions and games designed to be
fun for the participants and to leave a legacy and sense of belonging to a football club.
The action gets underway on Saturday 12th January, 2008, at 0800hrs with the public encouraged to attend and watch the future football talent of French-Polynesia express itself in a
relaxed atmosphere.
Elsewhere in the French Overseas Territory former Tahiti U17 coach Eddy Etaeta will conduct an education course for teachers in Moorea with the emphasis on helping coach youngsters
between six and twelve years of age.
Etaeta – who helped guide Tahiti to second place at the OFC U17 Men’s Championship – Tahiti 2007 – will divide the course into two sections with the first aimed at teachers
delivering football programmes for “beginners” and the second at young players with some experience of the game.
Tahitian football experienced a disappointing year at senior level with the national team disappointing in its efforts at the XIII South Pacific Games – Samoa 2007 and the U20
international team finishing well outside the running in the OFC U20 Men’s Championship – New Zealand 2007.
Club sides AS Temanava and AS Manu Ura have had mixed success in the OFC O-League competition with neither able to make a concerted challenge for a final berth. In this context the
U17 achievement in securing second place behind New Zealand was viewed as a positive but further evidence that work was required to develop grassroots talent.
The recent acquisition of former France international goalkeeper Lionel Charbonnier to the FTF Technical Director role has given the game in French-Polynesia a massive confidence
boost and programmes at the grassroots level are viewed as key elements in a long term strategy to improve Tahiti’s performances at senior international level.
A Pascal Vahirua XI will play France ’98 FIFA World Cup winners in a charity match at Stade Pater, Tahiti, on May 26th, 2008, with Christian Karembeu, Lionel Charbonnier and many
more famous names amongst those confirmed to play.
The course run by Eddy Etaeta commences on Saturday 12th January 2008 at 0800hrs in Moorea.
Photograph and story courtesy of Federation Tahitienne de Football