The importance of Henry Fa’arodo for Solomon Islands sport

Sport has its icons, the important figures that inspire the younger generations to pursue the dream of being a successful sportsman. All sporting modalities have their idols; all countries have an athlete who can serve as a role model.

In Solomon Islands, we can remember many important names, especially from football, which is the most attractive sport to Solomon Islanders. Personalities such as Commins Menapi, Batram Suri and Benjamin Totori, to name a few, are of massive importance in the Solomon Islands’ sporting scenario. Henry Fa’arodo, another player of enormous importance in Solomon Islands, can certainly be seen as a role model that the youth should follow – alongside other important sportsmen and women in the country.

The now 37-year-old midfielder began his career in the Nelson Suburbs in 2000 when he was awarded a scholarship in New Zealand. The talented player quickly caught the attention of Australian clubs and signed with Fawkner Blues at NPL Victoria. In 2004, Fa’arodo gained his first experience as a full professional player with the Melbourne Knights in the former National Soccer League, Australia’s highest division at the time.

The creation of the Hyundai A-League, the new premier league of Australian football, in 2005 gave Fa’arodo a chance in Perth Glory – making him the first Pacific Islander to play in the newly made league in Australia.

The Solomon Islander’s workload in Glory was not for a long period, as he only played 11 games for the team. Fa’arodo then moved to some NPL clubs as Essendon Royals and Richmond before returning to New Zealand to play for clubs like Canterbury United and Auckland City.

One of the most important achievements of Henry Fa’arodo’s career was in 2010, when he helped Papua New Guinea side Hekari United win the OFC Champions League. The Solomon Islander was crucial to the success of the Port Moresby-based side in the regional tournament.

Thanks to Hekari United’s fantastic performance, Fa’arodo and his team-mates had the amazing opportunity to represent the OFC at the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. They lost 3-0 to Al-Wahda of the host nation in the play-offs, but it is certainly a moment that neither Fa’arodo nor his Hekari teammates will forget.

After this great experience, Fa’arodo played a season in his country for Koloale, but it was not long before the now experienced player attracted the attention of New Zealand’s top-tier club Team Wellington. The Solomon Islander joined the Wellington-based club and made himself a legend of a club – Fa’arodo played more than 30 games for Wellington and scored a total of 15 goals during his time in New Zealand.

In 2017, Fa’arodo, now 34-years old, joined the Solomon Islands’ Marist FC team. The midfielder helped the club to qualify for the 2018 OFC Champions League and played an important role for the Honiara-based club.

Alongside important players such as Michael Boso and Atkin Kaua, Fa’arodo was captain of a very good team of Marist, the went to the semi-finals of the competition, where they met the Fijian powerhouse Lautoka. The best efforts of Fa’arodo and his teammates were not enough to qualify Marist for the final as they were eliminated by Lautoka.

After the good campaign Fa’arodo and Marist had in the 2018 OFC Champions League, the player moved back to New Zealand to defend Wellington Olympic’s colours in the Central League. In 2019 Fa’arodo, now 36, returned to his country, but this time as coach of the Solomon Warriors in the Telekom S-League. Fa’arodo’s first experience as head coach could not have been better, leading the Warriors to the league victory and qualification for the OFC Champions League.

It was expected that the legend would coach the Solomon Warriors at the regional tournament, but Fa’arodo decided to put his boots back on the line and accepted a contract in New Zealand to become a top-flight Hamilton Wanderers player – Selson Molea was the responsible coach for the Warriors in the 2020 OFC Champions League.

Fa’arodo played only one game for the Wanderers in the ISPS Handa Premiership – the league had to be finished due to the COVID-19 pandemics. However, Fa’arodo remains as a player for the Hamilton Wanderers and has extended his contract as the team’s midfielder in the season of the Lotto NRFL Premier League in New Zealand. The 37-year-old player still has a lot to do for the Wanderers in this new season.

At international level, Fa’arodo is the player who defended Solomon Islands the most – played a total of 61 matches. Fa’arodo’s career as a representative of his country began in 2002 in a game for the OFC Nations Cup against Tahiti and ended in 2017 at the Mini Pacific Games in Vanuatu after a 3-2 defeat to the hosts in the gold medal game. Fa’arodo scored a total of 20 goals for Solomon Islands, being the first of them scored against New Zealand in 2002.

Henry Fa’arodo, considered one of the best footballers ever from Solomon Islands, is constantly being praised in his country and in Oceania for his hard work and the important milestones of his career. Fa’arodo is undoubtedly a role model for Pacific Islanders who dream of becoming a successful sportsman; following his dedication will certainly earn you a high rank.