PACIFIC YOUTH AND SPORTS CONFERENCE LAUNCHED IN STYLE

The official launch of the Pacific Youth and Sports Conference (PYASC) 2010 was held in Manukau City, New Zealand, on Monday 31 August with organisers from Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and Manukau City Council (MCC) celebrating the occasion in style. Colour and culture dominated proceedings as representatives of a variety of sports, political and cultural…

A second half goal rush from defending champions Lynn Avon United resulted in a resounding 10-0 semi-final win over Upper Hutt City in Auckland on Sunday and kept them on course for a ninth Women’s Knockout Cup title. Building on a 2-0 halftime lead, Lynn-Avon ran riot in the second half to earn a place…

There will be a new name engraved on the 86-year-old Chatham Cup on the weekend of September 19 and 20 after Wellington Olympic and Auckland’s Three Kings United made the most of home advantage in Sunday’s semi-finals. Sam Matthews volleyed in a 25 yard screamer with 12 minutes remaining to seal a come-from-behind 2-1 win…

Scott Gilligan, project manager for the “Win in Oceania” Futsal development programme, has been in Fiji this week to assist the Fiji Football Association (FFA) in setting up a development structure for the abbreviated form of the game. The former Australian Futsal player and coach has been actively involved in designing and monitoring programmes in the Pacifc Island, namely the Solomon…

More and more women in Vanuatu are getting involved in football thanks to a new women’s development plan introduced by the Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF) this year. The development plan aims to expand football opportunities for women beyond the capital Port Vila and into the provinces and towns of rural Vanuatu. As part of this…

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) will send six match officials to the upcoming FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups after they all passed FIFA standard fitness tests in the past week. FIFA qualified referee Mike Hester (NZL) will be accompanied by assistant referee Tevita Makasina (TON) and Jan Hendrik Hintz (NZL) in Nigeria for the U-17 event while referee Peter…

The Solomon Islands will face tough competition in the first round of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009 after being drawn in Group A alongside Portugal, Uruguay and hosts UAE. FIFA’s official draw took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre overnight and featured several stars of world football including New Caledonian native…

Ahead of two epic Auckland-versus-Wellington Chatham Cup semi-finals on Sunday, one of the final four clubs is happy to have slipped under the radar. With Miramar assuming the mantle of favourites, double-chasing Wellington Olympic staying unbeaten this season and cup upstarts Three Kings United going from dark horses to serious contenders, Manurewa are tipped as…

The Solomon Islands national men’s Beach Soccer team has begun its final training preparations leading into the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai this 16-22 November. According to the team manager, Rueben Oimae, this week marks the start of an intensive training regimen that is aimed at taking the team one step further than they’ve…

The FIFA U-17 World Cup may be seen as the shop window for aspiring footballers but the 21-man New Zealand squad named on Tuesday for the Nigeria-hosted tournament in October and November already boasts a trio of players based in British academies. Cameron Lindsay (Blackburn Rovers) and Andrew Milne (Glasgow Rangers) are into their second…