Solomon Islands football teams have no training grounds in Honiara

Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) recently announced that the next Telekom S-League’s season is set for August. However there is a big problem that must be solved before the kick-off: there is no training grounds in Honiara.

Football teams used to run their training sessions at King George VI School (KGVI) and Solomon Islands National University (SINU). However these fields have been converted into the National Stadium that is being built for 2023 Pacific Games and training at Lawson Tama – the most important football stadium in Solomon Islands – is not permitted by SIFF.

According to reliable sources the local government has promised to prepare a cricket field as an alternative venue for the fields lost. SIFF Technical Director Moses Toata has also expressed his concerns about the current situation – “I think this will be the biggest challenge to football this year and it could get worse […] it is a sad reality we will face and it could be damaging to football if actions are not well planned or issues not adressed properly“.

With no available fields at the moment, football teams can not start their preparation for the upcoming season. Opening Lawson Tama for training might be a good solution but it would damage the grass’ quality. Let’s wait and see what will be done by the local authorities.