Etienne Mermer is changing the environment of his players’ training from a normal grass pitch to sand in a bid to improve their skill and control, as well as build up the strength in their leg muscles.
He thinks training on the sand is also good for goalkeepers because of the soft landings and the greater effort required for movement.
“I believe that with this extra training on the beach the boys can be ready to take part in the tournament in Singapore,” says Mermer, who is helped in coaching the side by assistant Wilson August.
They have been drawn in Group C for the Youth Olympics and will face Bolivia and an as yet undecided representative from the CONCACAF region. The other teams involved in the boys’ competition are hosts Singapore, Zimbabwe and Montenegro.
Vanuatu will be joined in flying the flag for Oceania by Papua New Guinea, whose U-15 girls’ side will meet up with their counterparts from Turkey and Iran in Group A. The other girls’ teams included are Chile, Trinidad and Tobago and Equatorial Guinea.
The top two finishers from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
The Oceania pair booked their tickets to Singapore after being selected by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) under FIFA guidelines. FIFA stated that nominees must come from nations that ‘have never, or rarely, had the opportunity to participate in Olympic Games or World Cups’.
FIFA also requested that Oceania nominate different countries for the boys’ and girls’ tournaments.
Vanuatu were selected following the establishment of a youth academy as part of the FIFA Goal Football Programme while Papua New Guinea were chosen on the back of strong performances over the past couple of years.
These successes included a gold medal at the XIII South Pacific Games in Samoa in 2007, a competition that is part of the Olympic movement.
For further information visit the Vanuafoot website