The Fiji Football Association had to settle for other options after the Suva City Council abruptly declined their request to engage Albert Park in Suva for training purposes for teams that will participate at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in July.
After receiving an email from SCC on June 17, the Fiji FA was forced to quickly explore other options.
As soon as they were informed of the unavailability of Albert Park, Fiji FA general manager operations Anushil Kumar said they had to activate their backup plan.
“We confirmed alternative training venues including Ratu Cakobau Park, Buckhurst Park, Pacific Theological College ground, and Fiji FA Academy.
“We had a contingency plan in place, but Albert Park was still the most ideal venue because of its central location and proper facilities. It was important to us to give the women’s teams the best available ground,” said Fiji FA general manager operations Anushil Kumar.
The park was an ideal choice for Fiji FA as it met the four-ground requirements by the Oceania Football Confederation. It is also closer to the team hotels and match venue which is the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
“Fiji Sports Council also supported us by confirming the availability of Buckhurst Park 1. Regarding the comments that FRU booked Albert Park in February, I want to be very clear that when I met with Suva City Council earlier this year, I was directly told by SCC that there were no bookings at all,” he said.
This means that additional costs will be incurred and a disruption to their initial planning.
“Yes, there will be additional costs, not just in dollar terms, but also in logistics, coordination, and staff planning.
“Teams are familiar with Albert Park, having used it during previous international tournaments hosted in Suva. The sudden venue change disrupts that familiarity.
“Also, I must express our surprise at the new preference from SCC limiting usage to just 3 to 4 days of training. This was never communicated to us until we received the final email rejecting our booking. If there were such limitations, they should have been made clear before we were officially quoted for 18 days. Furthermore, this is not a single-match event, we are hosting an entire FIFA sanctioned tournament with nine match days and daily team trainings.
“With no other option, we will do our best to manage the situation professionally. We’re adjusting schedules and working closely with all training venue providers to ensure the teams are looked after properly,” Kumar said.
Despite these challenges, Kumar remained adamant that they will deliver a successful tournament.
“We do not want to give false assurances to any visiting teams. We want to be honest that we are doing everything within our control to deliver a successful tournament, despite the challenges.
“The OFC Women’s Nations Cup is a prestigious event for our region and women as well, and we are committed to upholding its standards.
“We’re working closely with OFC, our government partners, and all local venue providers to ensure the participating teams are given the best possible experience in Fiji.”
On Tuesday, the SCC told this newspaper that the reason the venue was awarded to FRU was because they were willing to pay the rates required while Fiji FA was still negotiating for a lower rate.
