THE outgoing President of the Solomon Islands Football Federation, SIFF, Willie Lai has acknowledged Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare MP, as the national leader whose stewardship saw football reaching new heights, giving hope for aspiring Solomon Islands athletes.
Speaking during the recent SIFF Congress, Lai stressed, many leaders have come and gone but have turned a blind eye on the development of sports let alone the SIFF Academy at the old Taiwan Farm, opposite KGVI school.
He said, it takes Prime Minister Sogavare’s visionary leadership to drive support and seek assistance for the construction of the ‘home of Solomon football,’ SIFF Academy.
As his term as SIFF president ends, Mr. Lai said, for the record, the Sogavare-led Government, its partners and FIFA did a great job for the future of football in this country.
“The Newly built SIFF Academy is one of the best in the region. With infrastructure support from the National government, the future of football in Solomon Islands is bright,” said outgoing President Lai.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has in many of his public statements described the SIFF Academy project as a… “national treasure and a step towards unifying our people through sports.”
The 73 million project is funded by the Governments of Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Japan as part of the Pacific Games 2023 Sports precinct and home of Solomon football. The Football Academy now nearing completion will comprise two FIFA compliant football pitches, a beach court, a futsal court, one 2 – storey administration building, and one 2-storey dormitory accommodation building together with associated services to ensure SIFF’s long-term legacy after the 2023 Pacific Games.
