Activity Report 2008 OCEANIA FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION PO Box 62-586, Kalmia Street, Auckland 1544, New Zealand. Telephone: + 64 9 525 8161 Fax: + 64 9 525 8164 Email: [email protected] Website: www.oceaniafootball.com Contents Message from the OFC President 5 OFC and its Member Associations 6 OFC General Secretariat 8 Charles J. Dempsey, CBE, 1921 – 2008 9 International Relations 10 OFC Youth Festival Noumea 2008 11 Karembeu Jubilee Noumea 2008 12 OFC Football for Life 13 OFC Television Pilot Project 14 Communications, Media and Marketing 15 OFC Competitions 16 2008 O-League 17 FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 17 OFC Men’s Olympic Tournament Fiji 2008 18 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 18 OFC Women’s Olympic Tournament Papua New Guinea 2008 19 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 19 OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2008 20 FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008 20 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Marseille 2008 21 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2008 22 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008 24 OFC U-20 Championship Tahiti 2008 25 2008 OFC Nations Cup 26 FIFA Development Office 27 Technical Development 28 Referee Development 29 Courses and Education 30 Women’s Football 32 Futsal and Beach Soccer 33 FIFA Win in Oceania 34 OFC Office Bearers 35 OFC Representation on FIFA Standing Committees 36 4 | OFC ACTIVITY REPORT 2008 OFC ACTIVITY REPORT 2008 | 5 Message from the OFC President “ It gives me great pleasure to present this activity report offering a comprehensive account of Oceania Football Confederation’s tasks for the period January 2008 to December 2008.” OFC has enjoyed a busy calendar of events over the past year as well as unprecedented exposure on the world stage. One of the many highlights was the Karembeu Jubilee which saw thousands of fans turn out in Noumea to honour one of Oceania’s greatest ambassadors. With FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter in attendance, the match included many of the France ’98 team and was timed to coincide with the FIFA Goal Project Inauguration in Païta as well as the OFC Youth Festival. Another highlight was hosting the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand from 28 October to 16 November. The eyes of the football world were on Oceania for this truly exceptional event which was attended by more than 200,000 spectators and watched by millions more around the globe. New Zealand’s own Young Football Ferns won the hearts of a nation by becoming the first Kiwi side to win a match at a FIFA women’s competition. Coinciding with the tournament, a series of ‘Legacy’ programmes were run by the FIFA Development Office to further promote women’s football in the region. New Zealand Football enjoyed several sojourns to FIFA events including the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008, and the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 where O-League champions Waitakere United performed admirably. The Bilikiki Boys from the Solomon Islands enjoyed their third consecutive appearance at the FIFA Beach Soccer Sadly in 2008, OFC and the football world mourned the World Cup Marseille 2008, where they defeated El Salvador loss of Charlie Dempsey – the Patriarch of Oceania football. and competed credibly against Italy and Portugal who Dempsey oversaw OFC rise to full confederation status both progressed to the final four. The Solomon Islands also and served as the body’s president for 36 years. His long represented OFC at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. and outstanding contribution to football in the region was The OFC competitions calendar was capped off in 2008 immeasurable and he will be remembered fondly. with a thrilling battle for the OFC U-20 Championship title. As we look forward to the future, the signs are good that Tahiti made history in front of their home fans by becoming the OFC will continue to develop and mature into a force in world first island nation from OFC to qualify for a FIFA field football football. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere event, in this case the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009. thanks to everyone in the OFC football family particularly the Aside from the many on-field successes, OFC has also Member Association Presidents and staff for their continued strived to make a difference for the Pacific community off the support. I would also like to thank FIFA and everyone in the field. Since becoming OFC President in 2004 I have made it a global football community for their commitment to the sport priority to focus attention on utilising football to raise public and for investing in the youth of our region. awareness about key social issues and raise funds for non- profit organisations. In 2008 OFC partnered with UNAIDS to help educate people about HIV/AIDS during the Olympic qualifying tournaments and all teams showed wonderful support for the cause. International Women’s Day was also Reynald Temarii recognised by Papua New Guinea and New Zealand during the OFC President women’s Olympic playoff. FTF President FIFA Vice-President 6 | OFC ACTIVITY REPORT 2008 OFC ACTIVITY REPORT 2008 | 7 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008, FIFA Men’s Olympic Football Tahiti enjoyed success under the tutelage of Federation Tournament and FIFA Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. Tahitienne de Football (FTF) President and OFC President The All Whites won the OFC Nations Cup and will advance Reynald Temarii. The appointment of former FIFA World Cup to the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 and also winner Lionel Charbonnier as FTF Technical Director and have a chance of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South National Team coach saw the Tahiti U-20 men’s side become Africa™. Waitakere United won the New Zealand Football the first Island team to qualify for a FIFA field football event Championship and 2008 O-League double before advancing when it won the OFC U-20 Championship. AS Manu Ura won to the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 where they played out the Championnat while AS Tefana achieved its second Coupe a heroic match with Adelaide United. Waitakere lost 1-2 but de Polynesie victory. Tahiti were represented at the Coupe de OFC and its won plaudits for their audacious display. L’Outre-Mer by AS Manu Ura but finished in last place. Mimosa The year 2008 proved to be a groundbreaking one for the Marmouyet was nominated for the OFC Women’s Player of the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) with Year Award and, in a retrospective vote, Marama Vahirua was club champions Hekari Souths winning the National Soccer named as the OFC Men’s Player of the Year 2005. Members Associations League title for the second year in a row. Hekari qualified for the The highlight for Tonga Football Association (TFA) was 2009 O-League competition for the first time. The men’s U-23 the nomination of goalkeeper Mele Likiliki as OFC Women’s OFC has sought to maintain positive relationships with the first Fijian footballer to appear at the finals of a FIFA event international team returned to the regional stage and enjoyed Player of the Year 2008. The 25-year-old goalkeeper turned all Member Associations by providing support and when he featured for Waitakere United at the FIFA Club World two big wins over Vanuatu and Cook Islands. David Muta, Tau in a raft of excellent performances for her country in the OFC leadership while also encouraging autonomy to ensure Cup. Fiji hosted the OFC Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Winnie and Raymond Gunemba were the stars for Papua New Women’s Championship and XIII South Pacific Games Women’s the development of the game within the Oceania but could only manage third. In domestic football, Ba regained Guinea with Muta transferring to Australian club Sunshine Coast Football Tournament in which Tonga sealed a silver medal. region continues. its National Soccer League title from Labasa and then defeated and being named in the Oceania All Stars squad. Likiliki is the first Tongan women’s footballer to be recognised their rivals 2-1 to lift the Battle of the Giants trophy for the Samoa emerged from a year of administrative for her abilities on the regional stage. Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) third year in a row. But Lautoka caused a major upset beating complications with a sense of renewed optimism. Suspended Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF) National Clubs completed its first year under the guidance of President Iuli Ba 3-1 over two legs to lift the Champion vs. Champion trophy by FIFA and OFC from all football activities in October, Samoa Champions Port Vila Sharks won through to the 2009 O- Alex Godinet and his team of administrators with Pago Youth which Ba had held for 15 years. Asena Reba Ratu and Adiela (Football) Soccer Federation (SFSF) had the suspension League where they were drawn alongside the two New triumphing in the FFAS Men’s Senior Competition. The FFAS Kurikaba were both nominated for the OFC Women’s Player of lifted two months later. This allowed the implementation of Zealand representative clubs. Tafea FC – champions of the official website www.ffas.as continues as a beacon for football the Year Award. Roy Krishna was nominated for the OFC Men’s a Normalisation Committee process to at last get underway. Port Vila Football Association (PVFA) Premier League for the news in the territory and the appointment of Brian Vitolio as Player of the Year Award.