THE Makira Ulawa Football Association (MUFA) has elected a new executive committee with three of them being elected unopposed.
Tommy Mana, who was MUFA’s president during the past four years was re-elected unopposed June 20, 2020, in Kira Kira for another four-year term, while his deputy, Roxley Tara was elected general secretary, also unopposed.
John Dagi who was treasurer in the former executive was also re-elected unopposed, but MUFA now has a new vice president who is Paul Usumae.
Former Makira Ulawa Provincial Assembly member, Martin Karani and together with the South Seas Evangelical Church Pastor Claudius Roberts Tako was elected executive members.
Both MUFA’s President Mana and his Vice President Usumae are Honiara-based while the rest of the executive members are Kira Kira-based.
After the election, Mana said, to MUFA and Solomon Islands Football Federation, good football in Makira Ulawa Province and Solomon Islands as a whole is a must because it is not only a family game but it also an open game.
He thanked the executive members for the confidence they have in him to lead Makira Ulawa Football development in the next four years.
Mr. Mana said football must continue to develop because the people of the province are soccer-mad, adding football first arrived on Ugi Island where the first Anglican Church of England Missionaries opened up two boys’ schools at Alangaula and Pawa.
The first teachers then were mostly British, Australian and New Zealand citizens.
He said under his leadership, MUFA must develop soccer to reach new heights, therefore the support of the Makira Ulawa Provincial Government will be needed.
He said the FIFA project which built a soccer field and other sporting venues at Mu’u outside of Kira Kira Station for the 2006 Solomon Games must be revisited.
The football field and other sporting venues which have not been used since then are now gardening grounds and are overgrown with grass.
Mr. Mana said MUFA must start to organize football events even though it is not always easy to organize them in a province of islands, adding Real Kakamora belongs to the province, therefore “we must walk the talk about football”.
Meanwhile, MUFA’s General Secretary Tara said as the right-hand man of MUFA president, he would do his utmost best to ensure the eight football zones that form the Makira Ulawa Football Association Congress work together in developing soccer in the next four years.
And Vice President Mr. Paul Usumae encourages quality football in the province for now and the future.
He said as communications is important, contacts must be updated, adding interaction between MUFA and SIF must be improved.
MUFA treasurer Dagi said cooperation between the executive members is of paramount importance, adding the executive must work straight away and in the next four years.
By George Atkin
In Kira Kira
