The Frenchman’s visit has been made possible by the OFC Technical Department through its mentoring programme, a new intiative that aims to place expert coaches in certain member associations to assist in the development of football in those countries.
Toselli will be based in Samoa but has been assigned to oversee the development of football in four Oceania countries – American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga – and is scheduled to visit each twice before the end of the year.
“The main focus will be on the grassroots and youth levels in order to maximise the potential of football in each country,” Toselli explains.
“The performances of the national teams are a direct result of the development at grassroots and youth level. They are the main pillars to focus on for the member associations of Oceania.”
Toselli has been working closely with Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) technical director Ruben Luvu and other members of the federation’s technical department including women’s development officer Naomi Oney and goalkeeping coach Uinifareti Aliva.
FFAS President Iuli Alex Godinet is pleased to have welcomed Toselli into the fold and believes his time in American Samoa will be of much benefit.
“This is a great programme from OFC and I’m sure Ruben and his department will learn a lot from Simon,” President Godinet says.
“I urge all of them to learn as much as they can during his three weeks here.”
The former France youth international has plenty of valuable advice to impart after spending many years in football, both as a player and a coach.
Raised in Bordeaux, he represented his country at U-15 and U-16 level and went on to play in Spain before moving to the United States to enter the university system.
He has a masters degree in sports coaching and spent six years as athletic director at Lycee International de Los Angeles, a bilingual college preparatory school, before linking up with OFC.
Toselli has already made his mark in American Samoa and the federation’s staff are looking forward to his future involvement.
“In the short time he’s been here he has made a big impact,” Luvu says. “And there will be more to come during the rest of his stay and when he comes back for his follow-up visit.”
For more on American Samoa football go to www.ffas.as

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