| Association | Nauru Soccer Federation (NSF) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | OFC | ||
| Head coach | Charlie Pomroy | ||
| Home stadium | New Nauru Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | NRU | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Reading XL v  Nauru Nauru (Topside, Nauru; TBD) | |||
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 organisations. [1]
Currently under construction for the 2026 Micronesian Games, Nauru's national stadium will be the New Nauru Stadium in the Meneng District’s interior plateau, also known as Topside. Previously, the home of soccer on Nauru was the Denig Stadium. [2] [3]
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. [4] In 2009 the Nauruan Minister of Sport Rayong Itsimaera indicated that the island nation desired to become a member of FIFA and the OFC and the organizations wanted to accept them, but reiterated that there were challenges preventing Nauru from joining both bodies. [5]
Previously, Nauru had never played any official international matches. However, a Nauruan representative team had played twice, [6] including a 2–1 victory over phosphate miners representing the Solomon Islands in 1994. [7] The second match featured a Nauru selection playing refugees from the Nauru Regional Processing Centre at the Denig Stadium in 2014 in recognition of World Refugee Day. [8] [9]
After a long hiatus, the Nauru Soccer Association was relaunched in 2018. In 2020, the association’s vice-president Kaz Cain announced that Nauru was considering creating its first-ever official national side for a tournament in Hawaii in 2021. [10] After issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the association was relaunched again in 2023 as the Nauru Soccer Federation under the Nauru Olympic Committee umbrella. The federation’s intent was to build a grassroots soccer culture on the island and field its first-ever official national team. [1]
In December 2023, Englishman Charlie Pomroy was appointed by Head of Nauru Soccer Federation Gareth Johnson as Nauru’s first ever national team head coach.
Nauru's goal was to join the likes of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands in increasing participation in the sport in their countries. [11] Joining Pomroy in Nauru's project were Paul Watson and acting NSA president, local Kaz Cain. The team’s first jersey was also expected to be available to the public sometime in 2024. [12] [13] Johnson stated: "If we do not play at least one match in a Nauru kit I will see 2024 as a failure." [14] [15]
In March 2024, the Nauru Soccer Federation announced that they had signed a deal with Stingz Sportswear, who had just designed and manufactured kits for Micronesia, to produce the Nauru jersey. Hong Kong-based Giordano International had also joined the project as the team's main sponsor, providing funding for the team's kits and matchday apparel. The kit design was expected to be announced in the weeks following the announcement as Stingz and the NSF were finalizing a new logo for the federation. [16]
Later that month, the association announced that it was in discussions with the Football Federation American Samoa to travel to the territory to face the American Samoa national team as part of a small friendly tournament. [17] In addition to shirt sales, the federation planned to document the team's journey with a film similar to American Samoa's own Next Goal Wins . With enough funding, the team could afford to bring in players of Nauran heritage from Australia to supplement the squad. [18] On 14 March 2024, former Premier League striker Dave Kitson was announced as Nauru's first ever national team manager, in addition to a role as international ambassador. [19]
After plans to play American Samoa were scrapped, discussions began with Reading XL FC about the team traveling to Nauru to be the nation's first opponent. The United Kingdom-based club was founded with the purpose of improving the players' physical fitness. [20] Reading XL FC then began fundraising for the trip with a goal of £50,000. In addition to setting up a GoFundMe, the club pursued other options including a corporate sponsor and a documentary deal with a large television network. [21]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team manager | Dave Kitson |
| Head coach | Charlie Pomroy |
Charlie Pomroy (2023–present)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
| TBD Friendly | Reading XL FC | v | Nauru | Topside, Nauru |
| Stadium: New Nauru Stadium |
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Micronesia, part of Oceania in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati, about 300 km (190 mi) to the east.
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The Samoa women's national football team represents Samoa in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa.
Soccer is a minor sport in the island country of Nauru. The country is not a member of FIFA.
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. It currently organizes the national team, national futsal team, and women's national futsal team.
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.
Maximina Uepa is a weightlifter from Nauru. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. She is the current Nauruan women's record-holder in the 71 kg category for overall, snatch and clean and jerk.
The 10th Micronesian Games were 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 were held June 15-24, 2024.
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. 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.
Darren Pomroy, known as Charlie Pomroy, is an English football manager for Angkor City FC and the Nauru national team.
Reading XL FC, commonly known as Reading XL or simply XLFC, is a non-professional football club based in Reading, England. The club was established in 2022 to help overweight and obese men losing weight through playing football. It is the first of many XLFC clubs in the United Kingdom.
