Tuvalu National Football Association

Tuvalu National Football Association
OFC
Founded 1979
FIFA affiliation not affiliated
OFC affiliation 2006[1] (Associate member)
President Toakai Puapua
Website tnfa.tv

The Tuvalu National Football Association is the governing body of association football in Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is played at club and national team level. The association is a member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) but not affiliated to FIFA. The association has been wanting to be a member of FIFA since 1987.[2] However the lack of football facilities in Tuvalu is a major obstacle membership of FIFA. Tuvalu does not have a stadium, or training grounds or hotels for visiting teams and supporters.[3][4][5]

History was made in 2007 when Tuvalu became the first non FIFA member to participate in an official World cup qualifying match.[6] The situation arose when the regional governing body used the 2007 South Pacific Games, as the first stage of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and qualification tournament for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup. Tuvalu performed with great credit, earning a remarkable 1–1 draw with Tahiti in which Viliamu Sekifu became as the first World cup scorer for his country. The other three fixtures in the tournament ended in defeat and Tuvalu failed to progress from their five team group.

The TNFA has been wanting to be a member of FIFA since 1987. In September 2008, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia and the President of the Tuvalu Football Association, Tapugao Falefou, visited the headquarters of FIFA in Zurich, hoping to gain full membership in the organisation.[2] The Dutch Support Tuvalu Foundation[7] is working with the TNFA to advance Tuvalu's FIFA application and with the development of football in Tuvalu.[3] The Tuvalu team and the activities of the foundation Dutch Support Tuvalu are the focus of Mission Tuvalu (Missie Tuvalu) (2013) a feature documentary directed by Jeroen van den Kroonenberg.

History

On 28 August 1979 the Tuvalu national football team played the first official soccer game against Tahiti in the Pacific Games at Suva, Viti Levu, in Fiji. Tuvalu loses 18-0. Later in the tournament on 31 August Tuvalu wins for the first time against Tonga with the final score of 5-3 goals.[8] On 1 May 2003 Tuvalu plays a friendly game against Fiji with a 9-0 loss. Tuvalu participated in the 2003 Pacific Games held on Fiji from 28 June to 12 July 2003. Tuvalu finished in 4th place in the Group A league table for the games.[9]

The TNFA became an associate member association of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) on 15 November 2006. Tuvalu participated in the 2007 Pacific Games on Samoa from the.[9] Tuvalu is the first country, that as a non-FIFA-member, has taken part in an official FIFA World Cup-qualification tournament.[6] The situation arose when the regional governing body used the 2007 South Pacific Games, as the first stage of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and qualification tournament for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup. Tuvalu performed with great credit, earning a remarkable 1–1 draw with Tahiti in which Viliamu Sekifu became the first World Cup scorer for his country. The other three fixtures in the tournament ended in defeat and Tuvalu failed to progress from their group.

In recent years the TNFA have received support from the Netherlands.[10] On 27 May 2011 Foppe de Haan was appointed the football coach of Tuvalu.[11] Tuvalu participated in the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia from 27 August to 9 September. Tuvalu defeated American Samoa 4-0 in the Group A match at on the first day of the games.[12] and finished in fourth place in Group A, with a record number of goals. This is the best performance by Tuvalu in an international tournament.

On 1 May 2012 Stevan de Geijter was appointed as the head of Youth Development at the TNFA.[13] Former NAC Breda and De Graafschap coach Leen Looijen was the team's mentor during their three-month training tour in the Netherlands, with the tour organised by the Dutch Support Tuvalu Foundation in 2013.[3]

Since 2014 is Toakai Puapua the president of the TNFA.

Competitions

Player of the Year

in 2014 for the first time in history a Tuvaluan Player of the year was chosen.

See also

Men's

Women's

External links

References

  1. ↑ "OFC - OFC CELEBRATES 40th ANNIVERSARY AT CONGRESS". oceaniafootball.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tuvalu eye place in football family". FIFA. September 22, 2008
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Frew, Craig (9 December 2013). "Tuvalu still dreams of joining Fifa's world football family". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "No sports ground, no hotels so no to FIFA for Tuvalu – OFC". Radio Australia. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "OFC hits back at Tuvalu over FIFA bid". Australia Network News. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Tuvalu does not sink". Periodismo de fútbol internacional. September 2009.
  7. ↑ "Dutch Support Tuvalu Foundation". Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "South Pacific Games 1979 (Fiji)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1979. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "South Pacific Games 2003 (Fiji)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Tuvalu football project - Dutch Support Tuvalu Foundation (in Dutch, English, French and Spanish)".
  11. ↑ "Foppe de Haan gaat nationaal team van Tuvalu trainen". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 25 May 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Pacific Games NC2011 - Football". Sporting Pulse. 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "Stevan de Geijter hoofd opleidingen van Tuvalu". de Stentor (in Dutch). 26 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.