Women’s football launched on island
FOUR teams have been confirmed for the Digicel Women’s Senior League Taveuni Zone.
The zone was launched on Saturday and clubs include South Taveuni Women’s FC, Holy Cross Women’s FC, Niusawa Women’s FC and Bocalevu Women’s FC.
Fiji FA vice president and women’s football director Nazia Ali-Krishna says the launch of a women’s league on Taveuni was a promising start for the growth of women’s football not only on the island but for the rest of Fiji.
“Football is one of the most popular sports in Fiji already, but women’s participation in football still needs to advance significantly. Football is currently not accessible to every female creating a huge divide between men and women,” she said.
The launch was held at the Bucalevu Secondary School ground with participating clubs receiving equipment.
“We are all familiar with how the woman’s role is often limited to the home and she is unlikely to be an influential member of society or even her own family. This frequently results in girls and women lacking access to sport, which prevents them from reaping the health benefits and other advantages of participating in team sports like football where they can also learn valuable life lessons like teamwork, selfconfidence, pair play, leadership and rest for self and others.”
She says Fiji Football aims to narrow that gap by introducing community football through local leagues such as the Taveuni league which sees women footballers participate formally for the first time.
“Historically women and girls have been denied opportunities for growth and development especially in rural and remote areas but through football, we can challenge these biases and change how women are perceived in society and in their communities.
“Fiji FA along with FIFA have a goal to modernise football in Fiji and create a level playing field for more women.
“Introducing football to women and girls in rural and maritime zones has been part of Fiji FA’s strategic plan and we are happy to see the enthusiasm of the footballers and the local community alike when the league started.
“It is very rewarding to see participation growing through the start of the Taveuni League but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Fiji FA is determined to keep expanding its reach and to open new doors for many more young girls in rural and maritime areas through football. It is committed to making football the number one sport for girls in Fiji and hopes to introduce more local leagues to the outer islands and remote areas in Fiji.”
She adds Fiji FA will continue to work with grassroots coaches and teachers around Fiji to help young people build better lives through the power of football.
The league will kick off next month with two rounds of competition.
NETBALL Fiji will host a Quad Series at the end of the month which is aimed at helping the Fiji Pearls prepare for the 2023 Netball World Cup.
The event is supported by the National Fiji Sports Commission and will involve a Fiji open team, the Fiji men’s team, a Fiji mixed team, and an invitational side from Australia.
Netball Fiji CEO Vivian Koster said with two boot camps completed, the Quad Series would be used to determine which players were suitable to be part of the national squad.
Koster said the series would give selectors an opportunity to see local and overseas-based players in action.
“Overseas players will be attending. The Quad Series is a high-level training match series where we will have the Fiji Quad Series Open Team, Fiji Men’s Team, Fiji Quad Series Mixed Team, and an invited Australian team to be named later once we have logistics confirmed,” she said.
“It will allow us to see local and overseas-based players in match play and help with the selection of the Fiji Pearls to the PacificAus Sports Netball Series in April and is also part of the process of determining our Netball World Cup team.
“We will be naming a team to the PacificAus Sports Series at the end of April and have a camp in New Zealand planned for May. We will name the Netball World Cup team in June.”
The world cup will be held in
Cape Town, South Africa from July 28 to August 6.
Meanwhile, the Pearls have dropped four places to 19th on the latest world ranking.
Koster said they would be looking to better their position during the PacificAus Sports Netball Series.
“Our ranking was impacted by our outings in the 2022 October PacificAus Sports Netball Series and the Nations Cup, however, with 2023 being a Netball World Cup year it is important to get as much match play as possible.”