Club championship a success, CVC set to roll

GREETINGS to all.

The Vodafone National Regional Club Championship 2020 was successfully completed last weekend at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka and I thank the eight participating clubs for making it a success.

Congratulations to Kasavu Football Club of Rewa for winning their first NRCC title after 76 years and also to the Greenstar FC for giving a good fight in the final. I would like to acknowledge the support of the fans in Nadroga who came out in numbers to support their teams.

Taking football forward Fiji Football Association will be implementing club licensing from this year and it will be mandatory for all premier divisions clubs/ districts to be licensed as per OFC/ FIFA club licence requirements in order to participate in Fiji FA competitions and to be eligible for Fiji FA financial assistance.

The inaugural Fiji FA club licensing workshop was held at the Fiji FA headquarters in Suva last weekend and I thank all districts officials for their support in taking football forward. Club licensing represents major pillar of football development. It safeguards the credibility and integrity of club competition and also improves the level of professionalism within the football family. It also promotes sporting values in accordance with the principals of fair play, as well as safe and secure the match environments and also promotes transparency in the finances of the clubs, transparency in the ownership of the clubs and transparency in the control of the club.

The club licensing system sets criteria that the clubs must meet to ensure participation. Sporting criteria is that the clubs must field youth teams to develop the next generation of players for that club and qualified coaches, administrative criteria is the club must have a general manger to ensure professional administration, infrastructure criteria is the club must have a home training field and home field to play matches (some flexibility in terms of infrastructure criteria in OFC region).

The FIFA club licensing system would raise the level both on and off the field and represents long-term development tool for FIFA member associations. It is a necessary tool for developing club football because club football is the centre of development at national level and will be compulsory for two clubs representing Fiji FA in the next Oceania Football Confederation Champions League to be fully licensed under the Fiji FA club licensing regulations. We are proud to be the first country to start the FIFA club licensing in the region.

The 2021 season will kick off at the end of the month with Pillay Garments Champion v Champion series to be hosted at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori. The 2020 Vodafone Premier League winner Suva will face Courts IDC champion Labasa in two-leg series in Nausori.

The first leg will be played on Friday 29 January at 6pm while the second will be held on Sunday 31st at 3pm.