Solomon Islands need a new futsal court

Oceania’s most successful national futsal team does not have a sports arena to call home. The Kurukuru, as the Solomon Islands’ national futsal team is known, enjoyed the region’s greatest fame after defeating New Zealand in the grand final of last year’s OFC Futsal Nations Cup. Success in the regional competition qualified Solomon Islands for their fourth consecutive FIFA Futsal World Cup – which, following the postponement, will now be held in 2021 in Lithuania.

Kooline, Solomon Islands’ representative in the inaugural OFC Futsal Champions League, also helped the country to an even greater success in the last year after winning the tournament thanks to fantastic performances by players such as Anthony Talo and Benjamin Mana. Solomon Islands is the main futsal nation in Oceania, but the country’s facilities do not meet players’ expectations to develop their game.

The latest futsal tournament in Solomon Islands, the 2020 SIPA Futsal Championship, ended in March this year with Marist FC as champions after beating KF Gold in the grand final. The competition was held in Honiara’s Multi-Purpose Hall, a venue that does not match the quality of the players who took part in the competition – players like Elliot Ragomo, who has experience of playing futsal in Brazil, and the well-known George Stevenson certainly deserve better facilities.

Several key Solomon Islands players have already complained about the situation on the country’s courts; a national team taking part in a FIFA Futsal World Cup for the fourth time really needs a better environment to develop talent and continue the legacy of the golden generation led by players like Jack Wetney, Micah Lea’alafa and Elliot Ragomo.

In 2017, “The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, pledged to build a proper facility for futsal development last year, as part of the country’s preparations to host the Pacific Games in 2023. The Solomon Islands Football Federation signed a contract in October with the government and FIFA to build the stadium in Honiara“, as told by RNZ. The article also mentioned that construction would begin at the end of 2017 – something that Solomon Islanders are still waiting for.

See More:
Benjamin Mana: a new talent for Solomon Islands futsal;
Solomon Islands provisional squad for Futsal World Cup is released;
Solomon Islands is close to announce new head coach thanks to partnership with La Liga.

As mentioned above, Honiara will host the Pacific Games in 2023, which will force the Solomon Islands government to improve the country’s sports facilities to meet the criteria for hosting the Games.

In 2016, former Kurukuru head coach Juliano Schmeling said that “Solomon Islands futsal coach Juliano Schmeling says it’s a “miracle” the country will finally get a proper facility to develop the sport in the country. FIFA has pledged financial support for the construction of a new Futsal court in Panatina in Honiara” as told by RNZ.

The Solomon Islands futsal community is urging officials to provide appropriate facilities for the development of the game in the country. Solomon Islands were severely challenged by New Zealand in the last OFC Futsal Nations Cup grand final – they only beat the Futsal Whites on penalties – and their reign in the region could not go so far if they cannot maintain the level of recent years.

In the next chapters of this story we will learn how futsal will develop in Solomon Islands, but one thing we can already be sure of: in Solomon Islands, from shore to shore, there is plenty of talent to work for.