The Cook Islands Football Federation (CIFA) has sent an U-16 development squad to the event, which is set to take place at the Carrara Sports Complex from September 22 to 29.
The team will be led by coach Tuka Tisam, who acts as development officer for the federation, and assistant Paul Luiz Van Eijk and the pair have been working their charges hard in the build-up to the tournament.
Regular training sessions have been held at CIFA headquarters while the players have also been starring for their respective clubs in the Rarotonga cup competition.
The tour is part of CIFA’s long-term youth development plan, an initiative geared towards bringing about an improvement of results at international tournaments.
Tisam believes the Australian sojourn will be of great benefit to the players as they look to mature into competitive international representatives.
“We are looking at exposing our players to the talents of other footballers from overseas,” Tisam says.
“For some of the players, it is their first international tour and we believe that they will play to the best of their abilities.”
The Gold Coast Champions Cup is an international youth tournament and cultural exchange held in Australia’s premier tourist destination of Queensland in the September school holidays each year. The inaugural event in 1996 featured 43 teams but it has grown massively since then and now plays host to more than 170 teams.
The Cook Islands have taken part in previous editions of the tournament and will be sending a squad of 17 on this occasion.
“We hope to accomplish what we have set in place for this team. But we believe this squad will also be able to have an experience they can learn from and then incorporate what they have learned into our trainings,” Tisam says.
CIFA has run a development programme for its elite U-16 players since 2009 and the scheme involves the most talented players from the mainland and outer islands being brought to the CIFA academy in Rarotonga for a year of intensive training.
The academy has produced many players that have gone on to receive scholarships to attend top footballing schools in New Zealand such as Auckland Grammar and Mt Albert Grammar.
Cook Islands U-16 development squad
Pekay Edwards
Takuina Tararo
Murray Wilson
Edmond Tupuna
Ford Henry
Benjamin Heather
Cahjun Willis
Jarves Aperau
Bobby Aerenga
Kimiora Samuela
Louison Atetu
Dwayne Tiputoa
Antonia Tuaiti
Wiremu Temata
Sunai Joseph
Vaka Nootai
Terei George
Coach: Tuka Tisam
Assistant coach: Paul Luiz Van Eijk
Team manager: Junior Enoka
For more on Cook Islands football go to www.cookislandsfootball.com

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