Local rivalries will be fierce while teams with regional and international aspirations will also be battling hard a place in the OFC Champions League.
Marist FC are the reigning champions but they failed to impress in the latest O-League, picking up just one point in Group B. The winner of this year’s club championship will be aiming to replicate the feats of Kossa FC and Koloale FC who went on to reach the 2008 and 2009 O-League Finals respectively, or better still to follow in the footsteps of Hekari United who became the first Pacific Island team to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The opening ceremony, organised by the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF), will include a parade within Lawson Tama. This will be followed by formal speeches from SIFF and the major sponsor of the event, Our Telekom.
One of the highlights of the opening day will be the friendly match between local based members of the Solomon Islands senior national team and Solomon Island players who play for clubs overseas.
So far several provinces have confirmed teams for the championship. Honiara Football Association (HFA) stated last week that they will be represented by Koloale, KOSSA, Makuru and Uncles.
The Western Football Association (WFA) completed their provincial club championship last week and will be represented by Soloso and Gizo who met in the finals. It is also understood that the WFA is considering requesting placement for a third team to participate in the Our Telekom National Club Championship.
The Malaita Football Association (MFA) is currently holding its qualifying competition this week. Their representative clubs will be known by the end of the week.
More confirmations from Provincial Football Associations will be received this week.
Story and photo courtesy SIFF Media
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