Soccer in Nauru

Last updated
Soccer in Nauru
Country Nauru
National team(s) Men's national team

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

Contents

History

The most popular code of football in Nauru has long been Australian rules football, which was introduced during the early 20th century by Australians working in the phosphate industry. Soccer had been introduced as early as the 1890s, but was overwhelmed by the organisation of Australian rules.

In 1954, local rugby and soccer leagues were all wound up as the popularity of Australian rules football on the island skyrocketed. [1]

Soccer was re-introduced in the 1960s, by migrant workers from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. It enjoyed a period of relative popularity, and at one point the island had a six-team league.[ citation needed ] The all-time top scorer for the Tuvalu national football team, Alopua Petoa, is from Nauru. [2] [3]

A 2009 World Soccer article noted that organised soccer had "fallen apart" on Nauru, and that the island was unlikely ever to field a team at the Pacific Games (the main regional tournament for non-FIFA teams). [4]

In the 2019-2020 budget report by the Government of Nauru it was noted that all available open spaces on the island are used for Australian rules football, making it difficult to promote other sports such as soccer and softball. [5]

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, with Charlie Pomroy appointed as the team's head coach by Head of Nauru Soccer Federation Gareth Johnson.

The Nauru Soccer Federation unveiled plans to organise a new regional sub-confederation, the Micronesia Football Federation, with other associations in Micronesia. The group had begun planning to hold a tournament in summer 2025. Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands planned to participate, in addition to Nauru. [6] [7]

Representative teams

The Nauru Soccer Federation has unsuccessfully applied for membership in the Oceania Football Confederation and FIFA in the past. [8] The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF) suggests that it is "quite likely that there has been no official Nauru national soccer team." However, unofficial representative teams have been organised on at least two occasions.

On 2 October 1994, a combined Nauru team played a team of expatriate workers from Solomon Islands in Denigomodu, winning 2–1. [9] Another Nauruan select team was raised in 2014, playing a team from the Nauru Regional Processing Centre to celebrate World Refugee Day. [10] [11] In 2020, Nauru Soccer Federation vice-president Kaz Cain announced that Nauru was considering creating its first-ever official national side for a 2021 tournament in Hawaii. [12]

Nauru Soccer League hoax

In 2020, a website for the new Nauru Soccer League appeared online. However, no such league existed and individuals involved with the sport on the island clarified that it was a hoax. [13] [14]

Nauru soccer venues

StadiumCapacityCity
Denig Stadium 1,000 Nibok
New Nauru Stadium

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nauru</span> Small island country in Oceania

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.

<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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiribati national football team</span> National association football team

The Kiribati men's national football team is the national men's football team of Kiribati and is controlled by the Kiribati Islands Football Association. Kiribati is not a member of FIFA but is an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and is therefore not eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup but may enter the OFC Nations Cup. It became a provisional member of the N.F.-Board on 10 December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvalu national football team</span> National association football team

The Tuvalu national football team is the international football team of Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is played at the club and international level. The Tuvalu national team draws players from the Tuvalu A-Division and trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground at Funafuti. The national team competes in the Pacific Games, and is controlled by the Tuvalu Islands Football Association, which is an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) but not a member of FIFA.

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The Oceania Table Tennis Federation (OTTF) is a table tennis organization founded on 1 June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as its continental federation in Oceania. Discussions began at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships held in Melbourne, 1975. Seven foundation members were New Zealand, Australia, Guam, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Tuvalu</span>

Association football is the most popular sport in Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is governed by the Tuvalu National Football Association (TNFA). The TNFA became an associate member association of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) on 15 November 2006 with a further reinstatement on 16 March 2020. The TNFA has been wanting to become a full member of the OFC and a member of FIFA since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvalu Islands Football Association</span> National Football Association

The Tuvalu Islands Football Association (TIFA) is the governing body of football in Tuvalu. The association is responsible for the Tuvalu national football team and the Tuvalu national futsal team. Tuvalu is not a full member and is not affiliated with FIFA. It does not compete in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers because of its non-affiliation.

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.

Events in Oceania, during 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Oceania</span>

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<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Islands national soccer team</span> Team representing the Marshall Islands in mens international soccer competitions

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alopua Petoa</span> Tuvaluan footballer

Alopua Petoa is a footballer who plays as a forward for FC Tofaga. Born in Nauru, he plays for the Tuvalu national team and is their all-time top scorer.

References

  1. ↑ "Geelong Foster Game at Nauru". The Herald . No. 23, 984. Victoria, Australia. 9 April 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 23 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ Ewart, Richard (12 July 2019). "Pacific Games Day 3: Red cards and red mist!". Football in Oceania. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Alopua Petoa - Oceania NÃO FIFA article".
  4. ↑ "Micronesia is struggling to keep the game afloat, writes Steve Menary", World Soccer, 19 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "2019-20 Budget" (PDF). Republic of Nauru. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Dave Kitson: Former Reading forward set to manage Nauru in first international match". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Dave Kitson to coach Nauru football team - a team that doesn't exist yet". NZ Herald. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Düerkop, Sascha (5 January 2020). "The Associate Members of OFC – 0:3 for football". Football Oceania. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Paul Watson, "FIFA's Exiles", The Blizzard: The Football Quarterly 15, 10 December 2014, p. 106.
  10. ↑ "Nauru Honours World Refugee Day". Government of the Republic of Nauru. 2014. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019.
  11. ↑ Nauru 2014, RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Ewart, Richard (23 July 2020). "Fake soccer league website turns spotlight on what is really happening on Nauru". Pacific Beat (with audio, 6 mins 55 secs). ABC Radio Australia. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "Fake soccer league website turns spotlight on what is really happening on Nauru". abc.net.au. 22 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "A fake Nauru league has appeared". footballoceania.com. 18 July 2020.
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