What has happened to Solomon Islands Football? This is the million dollar question!
We can all stand around the water cooler and discuss this and I assure you that the answer to this question will lead back to the leadership of Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) or should I say lack leadership?
Solomon island football players are known to be the “Brazils of the pacific” when it comes to soccer, why should we be called “Brazilians of the pacific” we have our own style of playing and our skill set is different we should be dominating in the pacific and making a name for ourselves.
Solomon’s has a tone of raw talented footballers who need to be guided and coached in order to excel in the football world today.
We need our football federation to be working with these footballers and making sure they are getting the right type of exposure to coaching and trainings.
If we are to start at the youth level and help them progress through the age groups till they reach the national team we will have an unbeatable and dominating team in the pacific, we have so much talent going to waste.
What is SIFF doing to help develop soccer in the Solomon Islands?
There are many village kids who are very skilled in football but are not going anywhere because they are not getting the chance to be trained.
Why doesn’t SIFF go to the provinces and look for these players, have trails get the village kids hungry for football, start proper coaching and training at a young age and I bet you that you will see results.
SIFF’s response to this “ no eni selen fo duim kine project ia” we all know that this is a load bull, where is all the money OFC gives to SIFF every year, where is all the money going from the Saturday games going? Where is all the sponsorship money going?
Someone’s pocking it all because we don't see any development in soccer, the money isn’t being spent on coaches from overseas there are no friendlies between our national team and other countries?
Can anyone remember when the last time our national team got together and played a soccer match?
Personally I think SIFF’s spending should be public knowledge, audit’s should be carried out so we as the public should know where all the money is being spent or whose personal bank account it’s going into.
There was a news report on TV one at the start of the year where SIFF officials telling the whole nation how they have a really busy schedule this year and the international friendlies Solomon Islands will be playing this year, half the year has already gone and nothing has happened.
If I remember correctly the SIFF official was saying that Solomon Islands will be playing an Oceania select team, or New Caledonia or All Whites before they leave for the World cup, (luckily we didn’t as it would have been a huge embracing loss as our national side hasn’t played together for nearly 4 years now) All this talk and no action, anyone can be on TV and make all these fake promises.
We have a lot of local players who are skilled and talented enough to be playing overseas, we should have more of our footballer playing in NZ and Australia and even in the Asia Region or the A-League.
Our footballers need to be marketed to the football world, get them exposed to different styles of football, this is the only way we will be able to perform in the world stage.
We can have our local league game every weekend this excellent to promote and build soccer in our country but in order for us to compete in next level ie beating our fellow pacific countries we need players to be off overseas getting experience and proper coaching.
This is a valuable asset to have, a local player with overseas soccer experience and coming back to helping the national side.
This also boosts moral and confidence in the team,
I know we have a couple footballers playing overseas but we need more out there getting exposure, and who should be doing this helping local player get contracts overseas?
We don't have sports agents in the Solomon's. SIFF is the right sporting body to be doing this, SIFF has all the contacts to do this.
You always here Solomon's has the best soccer team in the pacific we actually don't because we never win the games that count, we do have some of the best footballers in the pacific but without proper coaching, guidance and leadership all this talent is gone to waste.
I have read articles about players from NZ who played at Lawson tama during the O-league couple of years ago and they couldn’t believe how soccer crazed our country is. they have never played to a crowd that big 20,000 spectators, they don't even get up to 500 spectators in nz for the O-league, even some OFC officials are amazed by this, you wouldn’t get this anywhere else in the pacific. This is our national sport and having a national team and managing body that succeeds is something that all Solomon Islanders should be proud of.
Its about time SIFF step up and actually start doing the job they are being paid to do, stop pocketing all the money which should be used for development in soccer, stop being so lazy and start coming up with plans and strategies on how to improve football in our nation not only that but implementing these plans/strategies and watch how well we will progress in the football stage. Dominating the pacific and being an undefeatable team in the pacific (including NZ) should be our first goal and this isn’t an unrealistic goal. How hard can this be?
Solomon’s is a small nation which should make it easy, there are funds provided every year, what other excuses can the SIFF officials come up with?
Actually I think (and im sure a lot of you will be thinking this as well that) its time for a change.
We have had the same people in the same positions for years and nothing has happened.
Its time for new/young blood, new ideas and new faces in SIFF, we need people in SIFF who are actually there for the LOVE OF FOOTBALL and not for the money.
We need people and who want to make a difference in this country, there has been good people who have left SIFF because of corruption, you ask them why they left they tell you there are a lot of fake promises things never get done, good ideas are pushed aside if it involves a little bit of work, dishonesty, changes can't be made with certain people in the top job the list goes on.
Our national football team, the “Solomon………? Do we even have a name for out national team?)
Now fully embodies all that is wrong with Solomon-corruption, nepotism, state capture, poor leadership, absence of vision and planning, and mediocrity.
Just like our nation, unless we change these retrogressive attributes, our football will not progress
Koreo Jimmy
Honiara
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