SOLOMON Islands departed for Tahiti the OFC U16 Women’s Championship 2023 on Saturday.
The competition will kick off in Tahiti next week.
The team of 23 players is led by Head Coach Patrick Miniti.
The squad comprises of representatives from participating Provincial Football Association (PFA) in the recent Solomon Power Iumi Play U-14 Championship along with an overseas based player.
The team is drawn into group A of the OFC U16 Women’s Championship 2023.
Solomon joins New Caledonia, Tahiti and Tonga while group B has New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
Solomon Islands will play Tonga in the opening match of the tournament on September 14th at 1pm.
All matches will be played at the Stade Pater in Papeete.
The top two sides from each group will compete in the semi-finals, to be held on September 22, with teams finishing in third and fourth respectively qualifying for the play-off for fifth and play-off for seventh matches.
The winner will represent Oceania at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be hosted by the Dominican Republic.
By CARLOS ARUAFU
Solomon Star, Honiara
