The Fiji women’s futsal team is currently in full training mode as they prepare for the upcoming OFC Nations Women’s Futsal Cup 2024, which will be held in the Solomon Islands from August 17-25.
Coach Jerry Sam is in the process of selecting the best 14 players to represent the country at the tournament.
The team has been performing well during their preparation, with coach Sam noting the talent displayed by the girls in the 20 extended squad.
“We are in our final week of training camp with 20 players, but only 14 will go to the Solomon Islands,” said Sam.
“It’s a big achievement for Fiji to be part of this tournament, first of its kind in the OFC, this is a great chance for the girls to grow and improve.
Sam is pleased with the progress of the team and sees this as an opportunity for both experienced and young players to grow and gain valuable experience in competitive futsal.
“It’s exciting to have Fiji’s first national futsal team in this competition, football in Fiji is getting better, and we have lots of young players who are learning and getting experience. We also have some experienced players to guide them.
“In our training we are focusing on the technical side of training. I want the girls to control the ball well. Most of them play soccer, so they have good skills, but we’re working on futsal skills too, the girls are doing great in our two-hour training session.”
Fiji meets Tahiti on August 17, Tonga the next day, New Zealand on August 20, and Solomon Islands three days later.
The tournament will be played in a single group format with the top two teams meeting in the final and the third and fourth place teams playing in the playoff for third place.
The winner of the tournament will represent Oceania at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines next year.
