THE Lautoka Primary Schools Soccer Association is taking a long-term approach to developing young footballers, with a focus on building teams from the Under-10 level through to Under-14.
Association president and Tavarau Primary School head teacher Shekar Sharan said the move was driven by the need to develop players earlier rather than assembling teams only when major tournaments approach.
Sharan said the association had struggled to win major competitions in recent years, making player development a priority.
“We have not been able to win for a very long time,” Sharan said.
He said the association had previously relied on bringing players together at the last minute and attempting to prepare them for competition in a short period.
“We’re just bringing the players at the last minute and then we are trying to work on it,” he said.
Under the new development approach, promising Under-10 players are being identified and placed into an elite squad, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable competition experience at a higher level.
The selected players are participating in the McDonald’s Primary Schools Soccer League, which is held monthly for schools across the Western, Northern and Central regions.
Lautoka is represented in the Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 grades, with players selected from the Lautoka Primary Schools Soccer Championship.
Sharan said the programme was designed to give players regular exposure to competitive football and prepare them for the Western Primary Schools IDC and eventually the national primary schools competition.
The development pathway has already produced encouraging results, with Lautoka winning the Under-10 grade at last year’s Western McDonald’s competition.
However, Sharan acknowledged that the association still had work to do, particularly in the Under-14 category.
“We have not been able to win the Under-14 there,” he said.
The association’s development plan is therefore aimed at creating a steady pipeline of players who can progress through the age groups and eventually strengthen Lautoka’s chances at the highest level of primary school football.
Sharan said the programme also comes with financial challenges, with the cost of running a competition of this size being significant.
