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Nearly 50 teenage girls from Fiji’s Levuka on Ovalau Island, experienced their first football tournament over the weekend to celebrate the conclusion of the This Is How We Football (TIHWF) programme.
Nestled at the foot of the hills known locally as The Peak, Nasau Park played host to students from Saint John’s College Cawaci and Levuka Public Secondary School for the end of programme five-a-side tournament. This Is How We Football is designed to introduce teenage girls to football in an empowering environment.
“This Is How We Football provides a platform for young girls to come and celebrate, network, and showcase their football skills,” explained Matelita Vuakoso, OFC This Is How We Football regional officer.
“It’s really rewarding to see the progress the girls have made and how empowered they are through the TIHWF program to stay in the game and thrive in their journey growing up as women in this era,” she says.
“As a new sport being introduced, we can see that the girls really enjoyed playing football,” observed This Is How We Football Levuka Coordinator Penelope Pickering.
“Not only did the players enjoy their first tournament, but it also served as a first talent identification opportunity for Fiji Football Association,” added Louisa Simmons, Fiji Football Association Women’s Development Officer
“From when we first launched the program until the tournament, the girls have shown big improvements in terms of their technical and game understanding.
“There were five or six girls that have great potential if they continue playing. The interest and passion in football is what should drive them towards getting better. If they continue this way, many of them will have a great opportunity to make it in our future national teams.
“I hope we get to visit Levuka again next year so that we can set up a league or some form of competition in order for the girls to keep training and playing football, so it doesn’t die out,” concluded Simmons.
