Helmut Kronjager and Matthias Schwaiger are in the football-mad country for a one-month stint and will be working with the men’s U-20 squad, who are readying themselves for the OFC U-20 Championship in April, and the senior men’s and women’s teams, who will both take part in the Pacific Games in August.
The pair will also work with national and Telekom S-League coaches and visit some primary schools in Honiara during their stay.
The trip was made possible through a special arrangement between the Solomon Islands and Austrian governments, who are sharing the costs of the coaches’ visit.
SIFF head of technical department Noel Wagapu welcomed Kronjager and Schwaiger at the airport and says this will be an important month for football in the country.
“We are privileged to have these two experts here to work with our national teams,” he says.
“I want to thank our government and the Austrian government for working together to make this happen. Our national teams preparations will benefit greatly and SIFF should also gain a lot from the professionalism and knowledge of these two coaches.
SIFF general secretary Eddie Ngava also offered his welcome to Kronjager and Schwaiger and says full advantage needs to be taken of their presence.
“We will be working to establish a longer-term arrangement for at least one coach to work with our national teams,” he says.
“This is in its preliminary stages but we will certainly be talking with the Austrian government, our government and the coaches while they are here.”
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb