Nauru Soccer Federation
{{Short description|The Football Federation of Nauru}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2022}}
{{National football association
|Logo = Nauru_Soccer_Federation_logo.png
|Size = 200px
|Founded = {{start date and age|2018}}
|FIFA affiliation = N/A
|Region = OFC
|Region affiliation = N/A
|Website =
|Manager =
}}
The Nauru Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in Nauru and is under the auspices of the Nauru Olympic Committee.{{cite web |title=About the Nauro Soccer Federation |url=https://www.naurusoccer.com/about/ |publisher=Nauru Soccer Federation |access-date=22 September 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Schöggl |first1=Hans |title=Electronic Reachability of Football Associations |website=RSSSF |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fas-urls.html |access-date=30 July 2021}} Nauru is not a member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and is one of the few sovereign states that is not a member of FIFA.{{cite web |title=Countries in Europe Without an Official FIFA Football Team – Part 1 |url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/european-non-fifa-teams/ |publisher=Young Pioneers Tours |access-date=30 July 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Ewart |first1=Richard |title=Fake soccer league website turns spotlight on what is really happening on Nauru |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/nauru-soccer/12483124 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=30 July 2021}}
History
In 2009 the Nauruan Minister of Sport Rayong Itsimaera indicated that the island nation desired to become a member of FIFA and the OFC wanted to accept them as a member but there were challenges preventing them from joining both bodies.{{cite web |last1=Menary |first1=Steve |title=Micronesia is struggling to keep the game afloat |url=https://www.worldsoccer.com/uncategorized/micronesia-is-struggling-to-keep-the-game-afloat-writes-steve-menary-292016 |publisher=World Soccer |access-date=30 July 2021}} Around this time, the Nauru Soccer Federation had reportedly applied for membership in both the OFC and FIFA but was denied, presumably because of a lack of infrastructure and league system.{{cite web |last1=Düerkop |first1=Sascha |title=The Associate Members of OFC – 0:3 for football |url=https://footballoceania.com/2020/01/05/the-associate-members-of-ofc-03-for-football/ |publisher=Football in Oceania |access-date=30 July 2021}}
When the OFC met in 2011 to discuss and plan the 2013 Pacific Youth and Sports Conference, the Nauru delegation attended along with representatives from thirteen other Pacific football associations.{{cite web |title=Heads meet to plot next PYASC |publisher=Oceania Football Confederation |url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/archives-11039/ | access-date=20 August 2021}} In a December 2014 issue of The Blizzard-The Football Quarterly it was reported that the association existed and the then-president indicated that a Nauruan team practiced on the island's golf course.{{cite journal |last1=Watson |first1=Paul |title=Nauru and the Marshall Islands: Football's Final Frontier |journal=The Blizzard-The Football Quarterly |date=10 December 2014 |issue=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EXDXBQAAQBAJ&dq=nauru+vs+solomon+islands+football+1994&pg=PT106 |access-date=30 August 2021}}
When Vanuatan Lambert Maltock was elected president of the OFC in 2019, the confederation indicated that funds were available to Nauru once the association has firm plans for developing the sport on the island.{{cite web |last1=Ewart |first1=Richard |title=OFC spending plans give renewed hope to Kiribati and Tuvalu as they look to secure FIFA membership at last. |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/ofc-investment/12540222 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=30 July 2021}} The Nauru Soccer Association was formally created in 2018. By 2020, the association was beginning to organize soccer tournaments and other development activities on the island once again but progressed was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic later that year.{{cite web |last1=Bjerkevoll |first1=Ola |title=This is the real state of soccer in Nauru |url=https://footballoceania.com/2020/08/14/this-is-the-real-state-of-soccer-in-nauru/ |publisher=Football in Oceania |access-date=30 July 2021}} In March 2021 it was announced that the Government of Australia was financing a number of sports programs in Nauru, including the OFC's Just Play Programme.{{cite web |title=Team Up launches across the Pacific |url=https://www.oceaniafootball.com/team-up-launches-across-the-pacific/ |publisher=Oceania Football Confederation |access-date=20 August 2021}}
The federation was relaunched as the Nauru Soccer Federation in 2023 under the auspices of the Nauru Olympic Committee with the goal of creating a grassroots soccer culture, fielding its first-ever national team, and eventually joining the Oceania Football Confederation and FIFA. In December 2023, Charlie Pomroy was announced as the national team manager while Gareth Johnson, Director of Football for Cambodian League 2 club Angkor City FC, joined as Head of Federation. Also joining the project was Paul Watson. Nauru native Kaz Cain served as President.{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Gareth |title=Football in Nauru 2024 |url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/football-in-nauru/ |publisher=Young Pioneer Tours |access-date=1 January 2024}}
On 14 March 2024, former Premier League striker Dave Kitson was announced as Nauru's national team manager and international ambassador.{{Cite news |url=https://footballoceania.com/2024/03/14/nauru-appoint-former-premier-league-player/|title=Nauru appoint former Premier League player |date=14 March 2024 |work=FOOTBALL IN OCEANIA |access-date=14 March 2024 |language=en-gb}}{{cite web |title=Dave Kitson: Former Reading forward set to manage Nauru in first international match|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68658309/ |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 April 2024}}{{cite web |title=Dave Kitson to coach Nauru football team - a team that doesn’t exist yet|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/dave-kitson-to-coach-nauru-football-team-a-team-that-doesnt-exist-yet/NQ2ERJBZ6ZHZHO432MTBTCJYW4/ |publisher=NZ Herald |access-date=14 April 2024}}
See also
External links
- [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555902923633 Official Facebook]
- [https://twitter.com/nauru_soccer Official Twitter (X)]
References
{{Reflist}}
{{International football}}
{{Non-FIFA teams}}
Category:Association football governing bodies in Oceania
Category:Sports organizations established in 2018