Marshall Islands national soccer team

Last updated

Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands Soccer Association Logo.png
Association Marshall Islands Soccer Federation (MISF)
ConfederationNone
Home stadium Majuro Track and Field Stadium
FIFA code MHL
Kit left arm mi2023h.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body mi2023h.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm mi2023h.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
First colours

The Marshall Islands national football team represents the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands in senior men's international football and is controlled by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. It hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA in the "coming years" and compete in official competitions of the organizations. [1] In an October 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Technical Director Lloyd Owers stated that the association was keeping all options open, including joining the Asian Football Confederation. [2]

Contents

History

Prior to 2020, Marshall Islands Soccer Federation described themselves as the last country in the world without a national football team and one of the few sovereign nations globally to not be a member of FIFA and/or a regional governing body. The nation had virtually no soccer history, with sports such as baseball and basketball being played on the islands because of the nation's close ties to the United States. [3]

The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation was then founded on 31 December 2020. [4] In December the following year, the organization hired its first-ever Technical Director, British UEFA-licensed coach Lloyd Owers making the 13,000km journey to the country for the first time in the summer of 2023. Owers would be responsible for creating the soccer structure for the nation from youth programs to the senior national team. [5]

Shortly thereafter it was announced that the Marshall Islands may field its first-ever national team at the 2023 Micronesian Games for which the country would be host. [6] In January 2023, it was announced that, as one of several large soccer initiatives on the islands, it was the federation's goal to play its first match against another nation by 2024. [7] In March 2023, MISF President Shev Livai stated that there would be no football tournament at the 2023 Micronesian Games. The federation investigated the possibility of having football as part of the games but hotels on the islands were already fully booked. [8] Livai later admitted that the 2027 Pacific Games would be a more realistic possibility for a competitive national team debut. [9]

In January 2024, the Marshall Islands held its first meet-up of players that would comprise the spine of the national team setup as the nation prepared to play its first-ever match sometime later in the year. [10] On 14 March 2024, the Nauru Soccer Federation announced plans to organize a new subregional Micronesia Football Federation and hold a tournament for Micronesian islands to be played in summer 2025. Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands planned to participate, in addition to Nauru. [11]

Team image

Kit

From 3 March to 18 March 2023, the MISF ran a competition to determine a design for the team's first-ever kit. Over 150 designs were submitted from around the world. [12] [ unreliable source? ] The federation than announced the four finalists the following month. [13] [ unreliable source? ] The winning design was announced on 19 September 2023, and was created by Micael Altarimano from Argentina. Marshall Islands has since revealed its first football shirt, signing a kit deal with PlayerLayer, who make Forest Green Rovers apparel which in hopes that the Marshallese players will wear during their inaugural match by July or August 2024. It was immediately available for purchase in the federation's online store. [14] [ unreliable source? ] The kits are produced from recycled plastic in hopes of raising awareness of climate change. [15]

Stadium

The national stadium of the Marshall Islands is the Majuro Track and Field Stadium in the capital, Majuro. Originally built as a venue for the 2023 Micronesian Games, it has become the home stadium of the nation and is a vital piece of infrastructure for the association's plans to join the Oceania Football Confederation and FIFA. [16] [17]

Players

With a population of 60,000, the Marshall Islands has a small population from which to draw. However, an additional 20,000 to 30,000 Marshallese citizens live in United States, predominantly in Hawaii and Arkansas. The soccer federation has stated that ideally the team's foundation would be players based in the Marshall Islands and supplemented by members of the diaspora. [15] By September 2023, the MISF had hired Pat McStay as Head of US Recruitment. His job would be to ensure that anyone of Marshallese descent in the United States had a local contact. He also aimed to hold identification camps at locations around the country in 2024. [18]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last twelve months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2024

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Islands</span> Country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 coral atolls and five islands, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 97.87% of its territory is water, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. The country shares maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west. The capital and largest city is Majuro, home to approximately half of the country's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the Marshall Islands</span>

The Marshall Islands consist of two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands, which form two parallel groups—the "Ratak" (sunrise) chain and the "Ralik" (sunset) chain. The Marshalls are located in the North Pacific Ocean and share maritime boundaries with Micronesia and Kiribati. Two-thirds of the nation's population lives in the capital of Majuro and the settlement of Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micronesia</span> Subregion of Oceania

Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majuro</span> Capital of the Marshall Islands

Majuro is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll has a land area of 9.7 square kilometers (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometers (114 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses. It has a tropical trade wind climate, with an average temperature of 27 °C (81 °F).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oceania Football Confederation</span> International governing body for association football in Oceania

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

The Micronesian Games are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan. The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially due to be held in Majuro, until the hosts withdrew. The 2010 Games were hosted by Palau. The Federated States of Micronesia won the bidding to host the 2014 Micronesian Games in Pohnpei State, and later won again against CNMI for the 2018 Micronesian Games, held in Yap State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the Marshall Islands</span> Overview of and topical guide to the Marshall Islands

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Marshall Islands:

Soccer is a minor sport in the island country of Nauru. The country is not a member of FIFA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in the Marshall Islands</span>

Islam is a minority religion in the Marshall Islands. All Muslims in the country belong to the minority Ahmadiyya sect. The Ahmadiyya mosque in Uliga, first constructed in 2012 in the Marshall Islands is the only mosque in Oceania's subregion of Micronesia. According to a 2009 report there were about 10 Muslims in the Marshall Islands, although more recent reports indicate about 150 believers in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilda Heine</span> Marshallese politician

Hilda Cathy Heine is a Marshallese educator and politician who has served as the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2020. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Minister of Education. She was the first individual from the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate degree, and the founder of the women's rights group Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI).

The Nauru national soccer team is the national team that represents the Pacific island nation of Nauru in soccer. It is under the auspices of the Nauru Soccer Federation which hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA and compete in official competitions of the organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Islands Soccer Federation</span>

The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in the Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands is not a member of its regional body, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), or FIFA, but is working on becoming one. The federation is recognized by the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nauru Soccer Federation</span> The Football Federation of Nauru

The Nauru Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in Nauru and is under the auspices of the Nauru Olympic Committee. 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 but aims to become a member of both governing bodies.

The Majuro Track and Field Stadium is a 2,000-capacity Olympic-grade multi-purpose stadium in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. It is mostly used for track and field and soccer events. The structure also serves as a large seawall in the densely populated part of Majuro which has become inundated with seawater through the effects of climate change, particularly during king tide.

The New Nauru Stadium is a multi-use stadium currently under construction on the Pacific island nation of Nauru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Micronesian Games</span>

The 10th Micronesian Games will be held in Majuro, Marshall Islands. After initially being scheduled for July 25 to August 5, 2022, the competition was originally delayed a year because of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including finishing construction of the New Marshall Islands Stadium. The games will now be held June 15-24, 2024.

The 2023 Marshall Islands Futsal League is the first edition of the Marshall Islands Futsal League, and is organized by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation.

The 2024 Ratak Cup, also known as the Unrepresented Sports Ratak Cup due to sponsorship reasons, was the first edition of the Ratak Cup that is planned to take place on the Marshall Islands annually. It is a futsal competition and took place from 27 January to 3 February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Owers</span>

Lloyd Owers is a UEFA-licensed football coach and the current technical director for the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation.

References

  1. ↑ Poole, Harry (October 10, 2023). "Marshall Islands: The last country on Earth without a national football team". BBC Sport . Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ Carbine, Melanie. "Coach hired, team still required: Soccer's status in the Marshall Islands is a work in progress". Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Rogers, Martin (July 16, 2018). "Marshall Islands rare nation untouched by soccer's sprawling reach". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  4. ↑ Whitehead, Jacob (November 12, 2021). "The Marshall Islands: The last country on Earth without a football team" . The Athletic . Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  5. ↑ Bjerkevoll, Ole (December 23, 2022). "Marshall Islands hire first ever technical director". Football in Oceania. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  6. ↑ Ewart, Richard (February 27, 2020). "Small beginnings as Marshall Islands sets out to join the world soccer family". ABC. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Webb, Matt. "Bringing football to the Marshall Islands". Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Hamilton, Tom (March 27, 2023). "The Marshall Islands are trying to build a soccer team, but their dreams extend far beyond sport". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ Fennell, Jordan; Ewart, Richard (March 22, 2023). "World media's romantic vision masks reality of task ahead for Marshall Islands Soccer Federation". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ Walley, Justin. "The first ever Marshall Islands Soccer Federation national team meet up". Twitter (X). Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  11. ↑ Bjerkevoll, Ola. "Nauru appoint former Premier League player". Football in Oceania. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  12. ↑ Nugraha, Dewa. "Historic-Marshall Islands Launch Competition for Nation's First-Ever Football Kit". footyheadlines.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  13. ↑ "First-Ever Kit of Nation-4 Marshall Islands 2023 Home Kit Finalists Announced - Vote Now". footyheadlines.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  14. ↑ "First-Ever Marshall Islands Kit Released". footyheadlines.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Whitehead, Jacob. "Marshall Islands revisited: The Englishmen taking football to the last country on Earth without a team" . The Athletic. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ Long, Dan (January 12, 2023). "Marshall Islands: Lloyd Owers appointed technical director of last country without a national football team". Sky Sports. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  17. ↑ TFC (July 25, 2022). "Future Marshall Islands Stadium". TFC Stadiums. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  18. ↑ Carbine, Melanie. "New Majuro Sports Team Raises Interest in Soccer for Marshallese Worldwide". Chikin Melele: Marshallese News from Arkansas. Retrieved November 6, 2023.