President
Lambert Maltock
Following more than 35 years’ experience in football administration in his native Vanuatu, Lambert Maltock was elected President of the Oceania Football Confederation on Monday June 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.
Maltock’s early career saw him study in the Philippines, New Zealand and Fiji before he returned to Vanuatu in 1982, and a job with the Public Service Department of the Republic of Vanuatu.
Following a request to transfer to the Labour Department, Maltock was appointed Head of the Labour Office in the Province of Malampa. After several years in that role he was appointed Assistant General Secretary of the Malampa Provincial Government.
When the Local Government Council of Malekula (Malampa) fell on hard times, Maltock was tasked with salvaging the Council, its finances and leading the local government out of a crisis.
His experience in this realm was once again called into action in 1994 when he was appointed as a member of the Commission of Inquiry this time investigating the same Council, reporting directly to the National Government.
For the next 15 years Maltock continued to dedicate himself to local government.
Maltock has always been a sportsman, achieving a black belt in karate while also enjoying football to a high level as a player.
With Jeunesse Sportive Maka FC, Maltock won four Championship titles in the Province of Malampa. In the late 1980s he was the head of the Malampa Province Team which took part in the Vanuatu Interdistrict Games.
With support from the Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF) and the local community, Maltock helped form a new club, St Paul FC, and took on the role of head coach. The side won consecutive titles for a period of five years.
1999 was an auspicious year for Maltock as he solidified his future in football.
Firstly he was appointed a VFF Development Coordinator for the Province of Malampa and was also appointed coordinator of the National Games in Vanuatu and as Secretary General of the Malampa Football Association.
Two years later he took on the role of Secretary General of the Vanuatu Football Federation and in 2006, was elected Vice-President of the federation.
That was the beginning of a difficult period for Vanuatu football as the federation found itself in a financial crisis. With Maltock having proven his expertise in this area, he was called upon to help restore normalcy to the federation which was achieved after two years.
Since he was elected President of VFF in 2008, Maltock has continued to push Vanuatu football forward with the nation celebrating some unprecedented results in recent years.
As part of his long-term vision, establishing an Academy was a priority. The success of the Teouma Academy programme was highlighted when Vanuatu qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2016. An achievement Maltock maintains as one of the most memorable moments in his football career.
Becoming the first Ni-Vanuatu to be elected President of the Oceania Football Confederation is another highlight of his career, and Maltock maintains he will continue to build a better future for the Oceania football community throughout his mandate, however long that may be.