DEVELOPING homegrown football talent must start at grassroots level, with Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel urging districts to invest in young players rather than rely heavily on overseas recruitment.
Rewa’s Red Kajikaji program is being highlighted as an example for other districts, giving children regular opportunities to learn football and develop their skills.
The program runs every Saturday morning.
Patel said the program reflected the investment districts needed to make to build stronger teams from within rather than spend heavily on overseas players.
Speaking at the Fiji FA Academy in Suva last week, he questioned the money districts spent recruiting players from other countries, saying the investment did not always produce the desired results.
“It is very disheartening to see districts spend thousands and thousands of dollars bringing players from other countries, and then you don’t see the result at the end of the day,” Patel said.
He said developing local players would provide districts with a stronger foundation and produce footballers capable of representing their communities at senior level.
Patel stressed that football development must continue throughout the year, rather than receive attention only when major competitions such as the FMF Inter-District Championship approach.
“It is not the time just to come and vote and leave and forget about it. Not the time just to come to IDC and forget about the whole development for the whole year,” he said.
Fiji FA provides development opportunities for children as young as four and five through to under-19 level.
However, Patel said districts also needed to identify promising players, support grassroots programs and work closely with Fiji FA development personnel.
He raised concerns about district officials failing to engage with development staff during their visits, saying stronger cooperation was needed to improve football at all levels.
Patel said Fiji’s ambition of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup depended on a collective commitment to developing local talent.
“It can only happen when the districts decide, let’s develop together, let’s do it and then only Fiji will succeed,” he said.
