Joining in on the celebrations were a number of provinces, including Guadalcanal who held their event at the Tanagai parish area just west of Honiara. In Malaita, the celebrations took place at Aligegeo field in Auki while the event was also marked in the Isabel capital of Buala.
Several other provinces, such as Makira Ulawa, Western and Rennel Bellona, began their celebrations on Monday. Bad weather on Saturday forced Makira Ulawa to postpone the event while Western province also had to put the celebrations on hold due to transport difficulties for their main organiser.
But the hub of the festivities was Honiara where governmental and non-governmental organisations teamed up with SIFF for the National Women’s Football Day for the first time in its history. Their presence was marked with information booths on the field, from which pamphlets, posters and quizzes with prizes were up for grabs for the public. Interest in the booths was almost on par with the action on the field.
Starting in the morning with several speeches during the formal opening ceremony, the day’s programme extended into fun football games for the U-10 category which saw three local schools take part. This was followed in the afternoon by competitions for the U-12 division and later in the afternoon for the youth and women’s open category.
Organisers of the event say it has grown from its humble beginnings into a major event for SIFF.
“This year we were able to attract the government ministries and non-governmental organisations to take part and this added extra value in terms of community awareness and education,” says Maria Rarawa, vice-chairperson of the SIFF women’s standing committee.
“Besides promoting football, one of the aims of the event is to be an avenue for public education about issues affecting young women and children. I believe what we achieved is a platform that we can expand in future programmes. I am thankful to all the organisations that have responded to our call.”
OFC was represented on the day by the confederation’s women’s development officer Emmie Sope, who was guest of honour at the opening and delivered the keynote address.
In her speech, Sope highlighted the role football can play in addressing issues that affect women in society.
“Women’s football can be a platform for governmental and non-government organisations’ objectives in gender-specific programmes,” she stated, before going on to commend SIFF for organising the event.
Sope also made a major announcement during her address, revealing to the public that FIFA and OFC will be organising a coaching course for women in Solomon Islands this year. This news was warmly welcomed by the female-dominated crowd.
But the focus of the day was on the football games, which brought large numbers to the sidelines to cheer on their teams. A high degree of passion and skill was on display but fun was the main objective and there was no shortage of laughter and smiles.
The activities carried on into Sunday before the festival was wrapped up and a prizegiving ceremony held for the participating teams.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb