Just Play

Tonga piloted the Oceania Football Confederation’s (OFC) exciting grassroots football programme “Just Play” which was launched in October 2009.

The initiative has been developed by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in close collaboration with its 11 Member Associations including Tonga Football Association (TFA) with strong support from the Australian Government through its agencies, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). ‘Just Play’ programme will be rolled out across the region over the next three years.
OFC has worked closely with Tonga Football Association (TFA) and the Tongan Government to introduce the programme which promotes physical activity (especially, but not only, football) for children aged 6-13 and encourages community involvement.

Read more …

Women’s Football

Women’s Football has become a worldwide phenomenon and a key driver of growth in Tonga. The phrase, “The future of football is feminine” is evident in a kingdom that had enjoyed past success in regional tournaments and is reflected in the growth in participation, opportunities to compete and most importantly, the increasing popularity among Tongan women followers.

This department is headed by Ms Adelaide Tuivailala and is responsible in ensuring OFC and FIFA’s tremendous support for football development and growth in the kingdom is achievable. She has been the driving force behind Tonga Women’s Football success stories and in pining the kingdom on the world football map. The department is structured to accommodate and nurture growth in women’s football, ensure subsequent demands for female players, referees and administrators can be met.

Read more …

Win in Oceania

The ‘Win in Oceania’ development programme is a three-year initiative that will leave a lasting legacy for OFC and its 11 member associations.

Launching in January 2009, the US$8million project aims to boost national competitions, improve infrastructure, strengthen administrative procedures and enhance media capabilities across all member associations while encouraging participation in futsal and grassroots programmes. It also aims to improve the image of the OFC and its members regionally and worldwide.

OFC is managing the FIFA-funded project with Senior Project Manager Vairani Davio and Deputy Project Manager Billy Vaitoare leading a team of six project managers. The role of the project managers is to partner the member associations and assist them in implementing programmes relevant to their needs. Project managers will ensure each country achieves the results and objectives fixed by the Win in Oceania programme.

Read more …

Pacific Youth and Sports Conference

Tongan youth were privileged to participate at the 1st Pacific Youth and Sports Conference held at the TelstraClear Pacific Center in Manukau, New Zealand from 15-20 March 2010. A total of 22 youths aged between 19 and 25 from a cross section of organisations in the kingdom attended.

Organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in partnership with FIFA, Manukau City Council, the Secretariat of Pacific Community, the Australian government, the Federation of Ausralia, the Human Rights Commission and the National Olympic Committee (ONOC), the conference provided a forum for 16-25 year olds to engage and explore youth related issues with a specific focus on Sports and culminated in a special regional Sports ministers meeting with the Minister of Youth, Training, Employment and Sports, Honourable Tuivakano, in attendance.

Read more …