Last month the two bodies hosted a series of tournaments around the country specifically for children with special needs.
One tournament was held in Savaii while more recently the FFS headquarters at J.S. Blatter Football Complex in Tuanaimato had the honours of hosting a tournament.
Football was first introduced to Samoa’s Special Olympics in 2010 through the Just Play Programme and FFS Grassroots. Since the first workship the partnership between the two organisations has gone from strength to strength.
FFS has trained Samoa Special Olympics volunteers to become licenced football coaches who have gone on to lead teams from districts all over the country in various tournaments and games, including the SOS National Games at the end of 2012.
The culmination of all the hard work of the athletes, FFS and SOS staff and volunteers will be in late November and December 2013 when a selection of athletes and coaches will travel to Newcastle, Australia to represent Samoa in its first ever Special Olympics national football team.
The last tournament, which was held on 31 May, served as the final opportunity for players to put their skills on display in the hopes of earning selection.
Once selection is complete FFS technical staff and SOS staff will continue working together to train and prepare the team for their first international tournament. This will involve skills training, theory and understanding the rules of the game as well as team training camps.
Special Olympics Australia will host the inaugural Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games in Newcastle, NSW from 30 November to 7 December 2013.
For more on Samoan football go to www.footballsamoa.ws

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