Auckland, 27 February 2004: The Oceania Football Confederation would like to announce that it has selected Fiji to represent Oceania at the 2004 Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland from 18-24 July.
The Milk Cup is one of the premier youth soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere and has helped launch the careers of such distinguished international stars like England’s David Beckham.
The decision was made by the OFC executive committee after receiving expressions of interest from three member national associations.
Milk Cup organisers have since confirmed the entry of the Fiji Football Association for a national under fifteen squad to take part in the junior section of the tournament.
As part of its ongoing commitment to youth development, the OFC is providing financial assistance to contribute towards the team’s airfares.
Last year, Samoa represented the OFC at the Milk Cup in the Junior (U-15) section and returned with the tournament’s fair play trophy. A youth team from Otago, New Zealand, also took part in the premier section (U-17) taking on Manchester United in one memorable encounter.
According to acting OFC president, Tautulu Roebeck, he is delighted that Oceania will once again be involved in this prestigious tournament.
“Youth development is arguably one of the major priorities for our confederation and we will continue to embrace this kind of opportunity to expose our youth to a higher level of football,” said Roebeck.
“It will be a good learning experience for the young Fijians but I am sure they will benefit from this and do Oceania proud. I wish them well on their preparations leading up to the tournament.”