Domestic football continues to roll along in the Pacific despite some poor weather sprinkled throughout the region.
Poro FC won their ninth match on the bounce in the Northern Conference of the Women’s National Soccer League in Papua New Guinea as they edged Tusbab Laidamon FC 3-2 during the weekend.
The result continued a remarkable run for Poro who have not dropped a single point in the new competition that got underway late last year, while scoring 47 goals and conceding only five.
Second-placed Sepik FC beat Bara FC 5-0, while in other results from the Northern Conference, Rainy Lae FC got their first win of the season as they topped Pacific Gardens 3-2 and Markham Raings triumphed over Morobe Tulip 3-0.
In the Southern Conference, FC Genesis maintained their lead at the top of the standings with a 5-0 victory over POM City Academy, NCD Hekari United FC hammered Amoana FC 19-0 and POM City FC eased past NCD FC 5-0.
In Fiji, adverse weather has forced the delay of the Champion vs Champion series and the Vodafone Premier League (VPL).
The two-leg Champions series between Suva and Labasa was meant to take place last weekend but has been rescheduled for February 19 and 21 at ANZ Stadium in Suva.
Fiji Football Association Chief Executive Mohammed Yusuf said the delays were necessary to allow the Labasa football family time to recover from the recent flooding.
“The VPL will start on Saturday, February 27 between Ba and Labasa and on Sunday at Churchill Park, Lautoka will host Navua, Nadroga will face Nadi at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka, while Rewa is scheduled to host Suva,” Yusuf said.
The Women’s Super League will start on the same weekend and will act as curtain-raisers at some VPL matches.
The Women’s Super League will be launched in Suva on February 20, while age-group national leagues will get underway in March.
Poor weather was also a problem in the Solomon Islands during the weekend where the latest round of the S-League was postponed due to heavy rain.
The playing surface at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara was deemed unplayable and the fixtures will be rescheduled for a later date.
Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands Football Federation has named a 47-strong training squad for their national women’s team.
The players were selected based on their performances in last year’s inaugural Solrais Women’s Premier League. The full squad list can be found here.
New Caledonia has confirmed their Futsal Super League will include 13 teams for the 2021 instalment.
Seven sides took part last year in the competition that was won by ASPTT.
The draw for this season is yet to be announced but the league will include eight teams from the South, three from the Islands and two from the North.
In New Zealand, Auckland City returned to the top of the ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership ladder following their 4-0 win over Hawke’s Bay United on Sunday.
Team Wellington went down 4-3 to Waitakere United a day earlier, which opened the door for the defending champions to jump to the summit.
Despite the loss, Team Wellington’s Hamish Watson bagged a hat-trick as he moved to the top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals for the season.
In the other results from Matchweek 10, Eastern Suburbs AFC beat the Wellington Phoenix Reserves 8-0 as they consolidated third place on the ladder, while the Hamilton Wanderers and Canterbury United battled to a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Football have announced that Leon Birnie will continue to coach the women’s national U-17 team during the next youth World Cup cycle for 2021-2022.
Birnie was in charge of the Young Football Ferns for their historic bronze medal performance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay in 2018 and was set to guide them to the 2021 edition but it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The full story on Birnie’s re-signing can be found here.
The Vanuatu National League Championship continues this week and games are being streamed on their Facebook page.
In Samoa, there’s still time to register for youth leagues and they’re set to get underway on February 13. More information can be located at the Football Federation Samoa Facebook page.
Finally, the Cook Islands Football Association is on the lookout for an Academy Head Coach.
If you think you have what it takes, check out the job description here.
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