Labasa Academy on track for January opening
The Fiji Football Association’s Labasa Academy is set to open by January next year, says a senior official.
Fiji FA chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf told SUNsports yesterday that 85 per cent of the project work has been completed.
“I’m confident the country’s brand new football academy in Labasa which also include a Futsal court with floodlights, is going to be completed soon and be opened in January 2021,” he said.
Yusuf said the academy would be of an international standard and would help in the development of football players in the Northern Division.
He said the academy includes a kitchen, office, playground, dormitories to accommodate 30 players, technical room, conference room, changing rooms and hall to accommodate between 250 to 300 people for weddings, birthdays and private functions.
“The academy is worth $5.5 million, FIFA has invested $4.6 million in the project while Fiji FA will be funding the rest.
“We have taken the initiative to give our youths the opportunity to be better players before they make the national team.”
In the past decades the North has produced top football players like Anand Sami, Jimmy Zoing, Gordon Lee Wai, Sam Lee Wah, Hussain Sahib, Kasimiro Dinono, Gopal Sami, Johnny Williams, Solo Catarogo, Buli Cama, Robin Simmons, Ivor Evans, Simmon Peters, Ambichand Nair, Faiz Ali, Petero Loco, Joeli Tadrau, Tevita Tukania, Nete Francis, Satya Singh ‘Koko’, George Dickson, Taniela Tuilevuka, Jope Lomu, Livai Duguca, Solomone Seruiratu, Melton Simmons, Roy Krishna and the list goes on.