Devoting himself to the development of football in American Samoa Technical Director Rupeni Luvu has been upskilling in all areas of the game participating in the OFC B Licence, the inaugural OFC Education and Training Seminar and now the FIFA MA Technical Directors course – in what has been a busy start to 2017.
Progressing through the three very different courses has not only increased Luvu’s knowledge, it has also helped him build a deeper understanding of the contrasting responsibilities and perspectives of different roles in the football environment – from a coach in the B Licence to a technical director leading development in the nation.
“It’s really helped me to better understand the unique role, the responsibility, and the priorities I have to have as a technical director,” he said.
With over five years of experience as the FFAS Technical Director, Luvu is well-familiar with the status of the game in American Samoa, but interacting with his fellow participants in Auckland this week has helped him adopt a broader perspective on football in the region, and give him an idea of direction for the future.
“Compared to the coaching courses I have participated in, this course has been a lot more interactive with the other participants,” he said.
“We do a lot of group work and discuss all of the issues we are having back home, what we’ve been doing back home in our own environment and then we get help from the other technical directors.
“The participants are helping me a lot. They’re showing me how to get from where I am now to where I want to be.”
Despite Luvu’s extensive and still-growing football resume, the FFAS Technical Director believes he’s in his ideal role in football and hopes to use his experience in technical analysis, coaching and leadership to lift the current and future coaches of American Samoa.
“I want to continue developing myself as a technical director when I return home and I want to use my new knowledge to develop our coaches and help them get to where we want to be.”
With limited resources on the isolated island, American Samoa is still in the earlier stages of football development, but Luvu is proud of the progress which has been made over the past decade and very grateful to be provided with so many opportunities for ongoing professional development.
“I want to thank OFC for the seminar last week, I want to thank the FIFA and OFC instructors for this week, and I also want to thank all the participants for sharing their knowledge with me.”
The FIFA MA Technical Directors course will conclude on Friday 12 May.