The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Technical Department has started the process of identifying talented football players in the provinces.
To accomplish this, a team of former and current national players, the likes of SIFF Youth Development Officer Eddie Rukumana, SIFF Goalkeeper Development Officer Philip Mango, and national football icon Batram Suri, were sent to Choiseul province to work alongside the Lauru Football Association (LFA).
Their task was to select a pool of Under 16 and 19 players.
The identification program gave rural talents the chance to showcase their potential and earn a place in the national youth teams.
SIFF Technical Director Moses Toata explained that the players identified in the provinces would be brought to Honiara to make up the national youth teams for important international competitions later in the year – the OFC Men’s U16 Championship in August and OFC Men’s U19 Championship in July 2024.
During their visit to Choiseul province, the SIFF Technical team selected two (2) U16 teams and two (2) U19 teams from Molevaga village to Moli village, North West Choiseul, where most of the young talents represented their province at the previous Solomon Power Iumi Play Championships.
The officials also received a warm welcome from Choiseul provincial Premier Harrison Pitakaka and his Permanent Secretary Jefferey Pakipota, who acknowledged SIFF’s continuous support to the province through football development.
The Premier assured his assembly’s stronger partnership with the federation for the betterment of the game.
The SIFF Technical Department plans to continue the Talent Identification program throughout other Provincial Football Associations (PFAs).
-SIFF Media
