In late September the OFC Goalkeeping C Licence course was held in Suva, Fiji, bringing together 18 goalkeeper coaches from across the Pacific — with a perfect balance of nine men and nine women. The course marked a significant step forward for diversity in football development across Oceania.

Among the attendees were standout female goalkeepers and coaches such as Zainab Donga (Solomon Islands), recent Golden Glove winner at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup, Faith Kasiray (PNG), and Courtney Napa (Cook Islands). Their presence highlighted the increasing strength and potential of women’s goalkeeping in the region.

“I’m so honoured to be here representing women from my country. Back in my country mostly men have the goalkeeping coaching opportunities. It’s an opportunity for me to show that us as women can achieve the same things.” said Donga.

“One thing I picked up from this course was the four aspects of player development. I believe these will help us structure better training and improve goalkeepers back home.” said Kasiray.

Led by OFC Education Consultant Chris Marsh, a former All White goalkeeper, the six-day course combined theory, video analysis, and plenty of practical sessions bringing to life key learning on the grass. It was delivered by a team of experienced coach educators, including Tyler Logan, formerly of the Olé Academy in Wellington, New Zealand and currently with Football Queensland.

Also supporting the course delivery was Phillip Mango, Solomon Islands national goalkeeper and the Solomon Islands Football Federation Goalkeeping Development Officer. He was also part of the women’s national team coaching staff that won this year’s OFC Women’s Nations Cup. Both Mango and Logan are in this year’s cohort working towards achieving their OFC/NZF Goalkeeping B Licence.

“We’ve got some really strong coaches on this course,” said Marsh. “Most importantly, we’ve seen a real improvement from day one to day six. Already good coaches, and now we’re helping them take that next step toward becoming great ones.”

The educators modelled three on-field sessions, followed by three practice opportunities for each participant to coach and receive feedback. Cultural inclusion was also central, with prayers opening and closing each day, translation support for three French-speaking coaches from New Caledonia, and visual aids used to reinforce learning.

For Napa, the experience was both personal and professional: “It’s rare to have people from different places come together like this. The biggest thing for me was learning how to work through a process — having a plan helps you professionalise coaching. That’s something I want to take back and grow in the Cook Islands.”

Watch the video interview with Chris Marsh, Zainab Donga, Faith Kasiray and Courtney Napa below: