The purchase of the impressive vehicle was made possible by the FIFA/OFC Win In Oceania project and academy director Charles Vatu says its arrival has come at just the right time as the federation is preparing two teams, the national U-17 and U-20 sides, for OFC Championships next year.
“Transportation is always a problem for us because it’s too expensive to hire buses here in Port Vila,” Vatu says.
“We’re excited to have the bus to transport our players around. We’re also thrilled about the great partnerships with OFC and FIFA.”
As well as assuming the role of technical director for VFF, Vatu is also a father of the Anglican Church of Vanuatu and performed a dedication ceremony for the bus last month at Teouma Football Academy.
“This new bus is bigger than the two we have and will enable us to effectively transport our players backwards and forwards to the academy. Players’ safety and good preparation is now our priority,” Vatu says.