FIFA development officer for Oceania Glenn Turner visited the region this month and met with Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) general secretary Eddie Ngava and the local contractors conducting the work to assess the rate of progress and decide upon an appropriate completion date.
The outcome was that the redevelopment will be finished by December 7 and the finished stadium officially handed over for SIFF use a week later.
SIFF special projects manager Phillip Ohoto’ona is overseeing the project and says the new-look facility will be worth the wait.
“I believe the handover ceremony is something the people of Western Province, and especially Gizo, should look forward to very much,” he says.
“Once JFK is complete it will cater to the needs of the youth players in the province and will certainly drive football development there.”
The work on the stadium is being funded by the FIFA Goal Project, an initiative by the governing body to help national associations around the world improve their facilities, and involves the resurfacing of the pitch to international standards, as well as the addition of office facilities and grandstand seating.
FIFA is contributing US$180,000 to the project and that figure may rise if SIFF chooses to develop the facility further.
The project was commissioned in September, 2009 and work began in June of the next year. The Aligegeo Stadium in Auki, Malaita Province, is another provincial venue getting a FIFA Goal Project-funded facelift and, once the stadiums are complete, they will be able to host national league matches.
Surfacing of the pitch at JFK is now complete and the planting of seeds will take place next week. Work on the seating is also underway and the administration facility will be finished when additional materials arrive shortly from Honiara.
“Good work has been done on surfacing and this will make the final stage much easier,” SIFF turf and facilities manager Reuben Oimae says. “All that remains to be done on the surface is final clearing up, minor levelling work on certain patches and finally the planting of grass.”
As JFK Stadium is the only sporting facility in Gizo, SIFF is looking at building partnerships with other codes to provide opportunities for the region’s young people to use the venue for various sports.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb

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