The group of 11 players, TFA technical director Kilifi Uele and women’s development officer Adelaide Tu’ivailala, were invited to attend a week long Coever Performance Academy camp in Auckland, by Coerver Coaching NZ technical director Phillip Parker.
Parker says it is an opportunity not only to teach new skills to the players, but also exchange and share coaching ideas, cultures and philosophies.
He says the group’s inclusion is phase one of the three-part Pacific Development Strategy which consists of three phases in total. The second and third phases being a trip to Tonga for a Coerver women’s U-17 group in July followed by a Tonga FA men’s U-13 and U-15 tour in Spetember.
“Two things were behind my decision to invite this group from the Tonga Football Association,” Parker says.
“Coerver Coaching is about youth development and also about coach education so we thought it really important to share our knowledge and hope in the exchange that we would get some knowledge back,” he says.
“Secondly, I’m part Tongan and over the years I’ve done a lot of indigenous development here in New Zealand and now that things are stable here on that front, I feel it’s time for me to start giving back to the islands, and firstly through Tonga.”
Tu’ivailala says the opportunity to extend the learning for young up-and-coming players was too good to pass up.
“When I was here in New Zealand with the U-20 national women’s team I had the opportunity to meet up with Phill who went through his programme with me and I thought it looked like a good way to help us develop football back in Tonga,” she says.
“I started seeking sponsors back home, because Tonga FA cannot do it all, and was very fortunate that Telecom Power Limited and the Tonga Development Bank were kind enough to donate and allow us to bring these 11 players – nine girls and two boys – to this course.”
When it came to choosing the players who travelled, Tu’ivailala says bringing players from TFA’s Centre of Excellence was a priority, and they were joined by women’s U-20 and national team players and coaches.
“The players we brought, most of them have been identified as being hard workers, and the technical director said they are the best of the group we have back in Tonga.
“The clear benefit that we see is the knowledge and skills they receive during this course they will take back to Tonga and other kids who are not here will learn from their performances.”
Women’s U-20 coach Penateti Feke and her assistant coach Sofia Filo are both participating along with a couple of their squad members from earlier this year, including 13-year-old Seini Lutu.
Joining the girls are Hemaloto Polovili and Soakai Vea, who were last in New Zealand in September to take part in a week long camp at the Asia Pacific Football Academy.
“In Tonga the football is not really that good and that’s why we came here, so we can develop, come back with new skills we have learned and share them with everyone so soccer can go up,” Vea says.
“APFA was a little bit harder than this because we were training with some full scholars there so they work pretty hard.
“I’m enjoying myself because we’re learning some new things we hadn’t learnt in Tonga and can go back and share. I want to be a football star just like Lio Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and I want to go up with the national teams of Tonga.”
For Parker the initiative has already proven a success just based on the players ability to adapt to the new learning style, and their willingness to develop.
“They are very disciplined, calm and attentive students,” he explains.
“They’ve never been exposed to this type of technical detail that Coerver offers. But I’ve been impressed just with the discipline and their willingness to try techniques that have never been done before.”
He says in terms of the talent the group possesses, it’s evidenced by their sheer athleticism.
“All the rumours and all the belief that the best athletes are out of the islands is absolutely true. All we need to do now from New Zealand is help to develop them technically at an earlier age.”
The Coerver Coaching Academy camp concludes tomorrow, Friday, 25 April, with a showcase match to conclude the week’s activities which have incorporated daily technical and tactical sessions.
To watch a video featuring Parker, Tu’ivailala and Soakai click here

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