Related Research Articles
The American Samoa national football team represents American Samoa in men's international Association Football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago and their head coach is Tunoa Lui.
The Samoa national rugby union team represents Samoa in men's international rugby union and it is governed by the Samoa Rugby Union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 12th in the world.
The Cook Islands national rugby league team have represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league football since 1986. Administered by the Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA), the team has competed at two Rugby League World Cups, in 2000 and 2013, and are coached by Tony Iro.
Anthony Tupou is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row and lock in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative, he played for the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, while also having a stint in the Super League with the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.
Sports in American Samoa are slightly different from sports in Samoa. The main difference is that Samoans in American Samoa are more likely to follow or play American sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Western Samoans are more likely to follow or play rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Sports such as mixed martial arts, boxing, professional wrestling, and volleyball are popular among most ethnic Samoans regardless of location.
The Papua New Guinea women's national football team is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA). Its nickname is the Lakatois, which is a Motuan sailing vessel. Their home ground is the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, located in Port Moresby and their current manager is Peter Gunemba. Deslyn Siniu is the team's most capped player and top scorer.
Rugby union is the national sport in Tonga. Sumo has a following, while football, judo, surfing, volleyball, and cricket have gained popularity in recent years. Rugby league and Australian football are also played.
Ramin Ott is a professional football player for the American Samoa national football team. He is currently American Samoa's all-time top goalscorer with three goals and has captained the side. Ott is also a sergeant in the United States Army, having served in Afghanistan.
On 11 April 2001, the Australian and American Samoa national soccer teams played each other in an Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The match was played at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour, Australia. Australia set a world record for the largest victory in an international football match, winning the game 31–0. Australia's Archie Thompson also broke the record for most goals scored by a player in an international match by scoring 13 goals. David Zdrilic, the scorer of eight goals in the match, scored the second-highest number of goals in an international match since World War I.
Viliami Sikalamu "Sika" Manu is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward for Tonga and New Zealand at international level, being a member of the World Cup winning Kiwi team who beat Australia in the 2008 World Cup Final.
Siuatonga Likiliki, also known by the nickname of "Tonga", is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and winger for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
The Cook Islands national under-17 football team is the national U-17 team of the Cook Islands and is controlled by the Cook Islands Football Association. With a population of around 24,000 people, it remains one of the smallest FIFA teams.
Samisoni Langi, anglicised Samson Langi is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and stand-off for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League.
The Pacific Rugby League International is a rugby league test match that has been played between two Pacific Island nations during the National Rugby League's annual representative weekend since 2013. The fixture was held at Penrith Stadium for the 2013 and 2014 test matches. In 2015, two fixtures were held; Samoa and Tonga competed for the Polynesian Cup while Fiji and Papua New Guinea competed for the Melanesian Cup at Cbus Super Stadium. In 2016 the fixtures returned to New South Wales and were held at Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium.
Joseph Ofahengaue, also known by the nickname of "Jo"', is a Tonga international rugby league professional footballer who plays as a prop and lock for the Wests Tigers in the NRL.
ʻOfa Guttenbeil-Likiliki is a filmmaker and women's rights activist in Tonga and the Pacific. Guttenbeil-Likiliki has urged equality in women's economic and educational empowerment, in their political involvement and representation, in land reform, protection from violence, and has advocated for the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women for over a decade. On 9 March 2015, her advocacy came to fruition when the Tongan government agreed that it was prepared to ratify the convention. Guttenbeil-Likiliki was twice nominated for the U.S. Secretary of State International Women of Courage Award (2012,2013) recognising her work in advocating for women and children's rights in Tonga.
Hemaloto Polovili is a Tongan footballer who plays as a forward for Lotoha'apai United and the Tonga national football team. He has been called "the key figure of Tongan Football". He made his debut for the national team on August 19, 2015 in a 5–0 loss against Fiji.
Paul Collins is an American Samoan footballer who plays as a defender for Utulei Youth in the FFAS Senior League and the American Samoa national football team.
The 2016 OFC U-20 Championship was the 21st edition of the OFC U-20 Championship, the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for players aged 19 and below. This year, the tournament was held in Vanuatu for the first time by itself.
The 2015 Pacific Rugby League International was split into two games. The first was the Melanesian Cup between Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The second was the Polynesian Cup between Samoa and Tonga.
References
  | This biographical article related to Tongan association football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |