- The new national women’s league kicks off in Fiji this weekend
- The national team reached new heights in qualifying for France 2019
- The league supported by FIFA will strengthen the national team in qualifying for the World Cup for 2023
When you think of Fiji, you usually see images of palm-fringed sandy beaches and turquoise-blue water. This tropical paradise can actually be found there. However, the Melanesian island nation also has a surprisingly strong football and sports culture.
Fiji was one of the pioneering football nations in the Pacific. The team took part in the World Cup qualification far earlier than any other oceanic nation alongside Australia and New Zealand. The unforgettable victory against the strong Socceroos 1988 on the frog-strewn field in Prince Charles Park in Nadi lives on in the consciousness of sports fans to this day.
Now the foundation is being laid for another chapter in Fijian football. The first successes are extremely encouraging. This weekend marked an important milestone for women’s football, as the FIFA-supported Women’s Super League with six teams officially started. FIFA provides equipment, funding and skills development for coaches. A grant for women’s football was also recently approved.
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The extensive activities show once again the positive effects of the announcement in the previous year that the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 ™ takes place in the region. The OFC has a place in the new play-off event for surewhich will be played in Australia and New Zealand in the run-up to the finals.
Two years ago, Fiji achieved a respectable win in qualifying for the World Cup when the team reached the continental playoff against New Zealand. Before that, Papua New Guinea had been the leading Pacific island nation for a long time until Fiji was able to break this supremacy in late 2018.
In view of the next year’s qualification for 2023, national coach Marika Rodu is very pleased with the new competition. “One goal is for all teams to practice an open game philosophy so that the fans can enjoy watching,” said Rodu.
“This gives us the opportunity to identify weaknesses in the individual teams and players. We then pass these findings on to the coaches. This is intended to increase the level of play. Ultimately, the players will develop and be challenged in the competition, and that too Will increase the level of the national team. “
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Naziah Ali, member of the Fiji Football Association’s board of directors and a participant in FIFA’s program for women in football leadership, says it is time to provide further impetus two years before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. “Since the last Women’s World Cup in France, the world has seen women’s football in a more positive light and we want to use this momentum when the World Cup comes to our region,” she said FIFA.com.
“We not only have the chance to qualify for the play-offs, but also to win a lot in all other respects when the world turns its eyes to the Pacific region. As a region that compares to Europe and North and South America has a much less developed women’s football scene, let’s hope that with the increased media attention, we can inspire more women and girls to participate and attract more sponsors to invest in the sport. “
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Ali explains that the Fiji Football Association has just adopted a strategic plan in which the promotion and development of women’s football plays an extremely important role. “Finances are very important to the development of women’s football. We want to see improvements in all areas, in the game, in the teams, the players, the coaches and the administration,” she said.
“We have already achieved a lot since the beginning in the 90s. A few years ago we weren’t even listed and now we’re 65th in the women’s world rankings. It’s a very good start for a small nation like us. We are very ambitious and want to qualify for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup ™.
We hope that as many young girls as possible in Fiji will follow their path to the World Cup and be inspired to become footballers. “
This article is part of our series on women’s football and women in football for International Women’s Day 2021. To learn more about FIFA’s women’s football strategy and development programs, and to read other articles like this, click here.
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