Fetauo Bechler is one of the great hopes of Samoan football in the coming years, he was a starter for Napier City Rovers in New Zealand’s Central League and the National League in 2022, and also represented Samoa in the OFC U-19 Championship. The 19-year-old defender spoke to Oceania Football Center about his season and his views about the development of Samoan football.
How was your experience to be a regular starter in a traditional team of New Zealand?
It was good for my confidence by consistently starting I felt an increase in my improvement from when I first started with the club. I became very comfortable with starting every week and learned a lot from teammates. Also I had lots to analysing when looking back in each game.
How was to play the National League against the top players of New Zealand?
It was a goal as a team to make the National League, so it was a positive step in our season and it was also a level higher so it really challenged me in particular. I definitely would see this as another future goal, but overall a great way to end a season in my opinion.
Do you think Samoa could have advanced further in the OFC U-19 Championship last year?
I think that we definitely could have progressed further, it’s just a shame that we hadn’t had much time together as a team and our chemistry between players made it hard to understand tactics. But I think that definitely had the potential to go much further than we ended up.
Do you intend to keep representing Samoa internationally?
Playing for Samoa internationally has been the best experiences I’ve had without a doubt, so I intend on representing Samoa again in the near future.
Are the Pacific Games this year a possibility for you to represent them?
Yes, it’s definitely a possibility that I would be proud to represent them in.
How do you see the football development in Samoa? Do you see it improving in the past years?
I definitely felt like the staff and coaching made the whole experience more professional than previous experiences. Although my experience when I first played for Samoa will be second to none; that I hope to experience in the future; I got to embrace my culture off the field, creating a special bond with every player off the pitch, ultimately fueling everyone to work hard for each other on the field. Although based off my last Samoan experience, in terms of tactics and development for Samoan Football, I think there will be a significant improvement.
The Oceania Football Center thanks Fetauo Bechler for the interview and wishes him success in the course of his career.
Oceania Football Center 