One of the most exciting and hard-working coaches in Ha’apai is Malakai Veatupu from the village of Ha’ano located in the Island of Kauvai. Mr Veatupu is the coach of Ha’ano’s Beach Soccer team participating in their second year in HFA Beach Soccer Competition and he shares he’s story and experience of developing football here in Ha’apai.
“When football was first introduced to Ha’apai I was not attracted to the game since there are a lot of rugby stars from Ha’apai and it became my number one sport. Last year I was told to bring a few girls from Kauvai to the capital of Ha’apai, Pangai to participate in a course by Women’s Football called the Heilala Manongi. I also joined the course and from then my attention started to turn to Soccer.”
“The manager of Ha’apai Football then asked if I can form up a team from Kauvai to join the competition last year. I then started collecting players from the four villages of Kauvai which is Pokotala, Fakakai, Muitoa and also where I’m from the village of Ha’ano. I started to pick young talented girls and train them but at that time my knowledge and experience of the game was not enough to earn us the title but one of my players, Hehea Taufa was picked in the Mataliki Squad that competed in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup earlier this year.
Since then I’ve returned to Kauvai but I would always catch a boat every morning and come here to Pangai every time there is a coaching course is conducted here for beach soccer just to develop my team. This is my third coaching course and I am grateful to learn from the experience of a FIFA Coach Instructor“.
“The skills and knowledge I have learned from this course I will bring it back and change a few playing set and also to teach them some new skills and techniques and hopefully it can get more of my players to the National Team”, Malakai Veatupu to TFA Website.
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