LaLiga-SIFF partnership helps football’s development in Solomon Islands

Spanish LaLiga is one of the biggest national football leagues in the world. But their success is not only inside the pitch as LaLiga is also a very strong brand outside the pitch. They run lots of offices and projects around the world in that help the development of the sport worldwide. One of these projects is based on a partnership with Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF).

The partnership between LaLiga and began in June 2016 and since then the Spanish side has been helping the Pacific Islands’ country to develop its football – specially at youth levels. The first act of this partnership was promoted by Fernando Sanz – LaLiga’s MENA office manager and director of international projects – with the objective of selecting a national team coach and preparing the U20 team for 2016 OFC U20 Championship held in Vanuatu.

Pedro Mateo travelled to Oceania with the mission to take charge of the team by LaLiga’s Sporting Projects. He holds a degree in Sports Science and led the U20 team for a month before the 2016 OFC U20 Championship. During this period they played friendlies against some local teams, the full Solomon Islands National Team and some clubs from Australia who viseited the country – “This project marks the first step towards future collaboration between the two countries. Very strong links have been established, and not solely on the sporting side of thing,” said Mateo after returning from his stint in Oceania.

This project is part of LaLiga’s internationalisation strategy, takes its place alongside the other programmes that the organisation is currently working on with various leagues and federations across the world, which relate not only to on-field issues, but also to aspects of security, the fight against piracy and violence, and best practice on governance, transparency, marketing and management (Source: LaLiga.com)

The second big act came in the upcoming year when Felipe Vega-Arango was appointed as Solomon Islands Football Federation’s Technical Director – “I sent my curriculum to LaLiga because they have collaboration agreements with various federations around the world… There the possibility arose of becoming the Technical Director of Solomon Islands Football Federation and I did not think twice about taking the charge,” he told to Spanish newspaper Marca.

Vega-Arango arrived in Solomon Islands in March 2017 to be the SIFF’s Technical Director. However after six weeks he also became the National Team’s head coach – “I had to ask the OFC and FIFA for special permission because the technical directors could not be coaches,” he explained.

He led the Bonitos in eleven matches, including the two clashes against New Zealand in the OFC 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. LaLiga paid his salaries and flight tickets during his 15-month stint in Oceania while SIFF met his housing allowance.

Now that this partnership is about to complete its fourth birthday it is possible to check their effectiveness on Solomon Islands’ development. In 2018 the Young Bonitos booked a spot in the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup – the Solomon Islands’ first ever appearance in a 11-a-side FIFA World Cup – after reaching the 2018 OFC U16 Championship final against New Zealand.

It is very important for Oceanian nations to establish contact with bigger countries in order to go through the next level in the sport.