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Solomon Islands Footy – Bigger, Bolder, Brighter…Later.

  • Tuesday, June 17 2014 @ 10:51 am ACST
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International Cup 2014

Not all nations can afford to make it to Australia for the International Cups, and it should not be seen as a measure of strength or support of the game if a nation doesn’t get there. There are more factors than just the love of the game, or relative strength of the game, which impact decisions – fiscal considerations arguably the highest of these.

A case in point is the Solomon Islands. According to the SIAFL (Solomon Islands Australian Football League), the desire is certainly there, but not the main mechanism to make it happen – funding.

“Yes, unfortunately we will not be attending the IC14 competition. The biggest barrier came down to a lack of funding and sponsorship. Unfortunately we were not able to secure any corporate backing.”

“We do have a senior male competition in Honiara consisting of 5 teams. Each team has had over 20 players at one point in time or another. We do believe that Solomons would have entered a very competitive team this year. As for future IC competitions, that may well still be dependent on sponsorship.”

Additional to the healthy local competition, the Solomon Islands AFL crew have organised events such as the recent Gala Day and All Stars match to foster interest in the game. The ongoing school programs have also seen continued interest and growth, setting up an ongoing future with youth continuing to embrace the game. The Solkick and Junior Development program boasts a number of schools embracing the game through their sports programs.

“Our sights are currently set on the Oceania Cup in December and we will continue to seek sponsorship and hopefully send an under 15's team to Fiji.”

The decision not to come to Australia for the IC14 certainly allows the SIAFL to have a clear three years to continue to seek the funding and sponsorship to be at the next International Cup. Judging by the current youth development, as well as their existing core of players, the break might see a bigger and bolder national team in years to come and an overall brighter future for the Solomon Islands game.