The sessions took place this month in Pirae and were led by FIFA instructor Angelo Schirinzi, player-coach of the Swiss national beach soccer team.
Heimanu Taiarui and Tearii Labaste from the Tiki Toa, Tahiti’s national squad, also passed on some of their knowledge to the participants.
Schirinzi, who led Switzerland to a runners-up finish at the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, believes the Pacific nations have great potential to do well at the beach version of the world game and is happy with how the course went.
He was particularly impressed with the enthusiasm shown by the participants.
“I found them to be attentive and willing to learn,” Schirinzi said. “The success of the Tiki Toa is certainly a source of great motivation for young French Polynesians.”
The 16 budding coaches took part in a range of practical and theoretical activities during the course and Fédération Tahitienne de Football (FTF) technical director Eddy Etaeta plans to bring them together again in May before the 10-team new beach soccer league begins.
The championship is being introduced by FTF as the federation looks to build on a recent period of impressive growth and development for the game in Tahiti.
The Tiki Toa became the champions of the Pacific region in February after wrestling the OFC Beach Soccer Championship crown from Solomon Islands and went on to post a win over Venezuela at September’s World Cup in Italy, the country’s first ever triumph at a FIFA event.
They will look to do even better on home soil in 2013, when Tahiti is scheduled to become the first Oceania country to stage a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Schirinzi thinks Tahiti 2013 will be a success and feels the OFC representatives have every chance of excelling.
“FIFA is running huge tournaments and we have seen that the World Cup is a great event. I think it will be a great event again here in Tahiti.”
Schirinzi believes beach soccer offers the Oceania countries a good opportunity to compete on the world stage.
“There are a lot of beaches in Oceania and I always say the same thing. Countries like Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tahiti will not have much of a chance to compete in big football competitions but in beach soccer they have a great chance to be successful.”
FTF is looking to capitalise on its relationship with Schirinzi by arranging a series between the Tahiti and Switzerland national sides for September 2012 as the Tiki Toa look to build towards the 2013 World Cup. Schirinzi is keen for his charges to be involved in such a series, provided it fits in with the side’s schedule in Europe.
For more on Tahiti football go to www.ftf.pf

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