World Footy News

WFN has reported previously on footy in the Solomon Islands, where RAMSI Special Co-ordinator and former South Melbourne player, Graeme Wilson has taken charge of Solkick and footy in the Solomons - acting as Secretary of the Solomon Islands AFL Federation.

In October this year, Wilson announced that they hoped to send an Under 16 team to Tonga for the upcoming Oceania Under 16s tournament. The good news is that 24 lads are ready to head to Tonga and take up the challenge for the Solomon’s first representative footy team.

The local Solomon Star reported on preparations back in October : Every Saturday Mr Wilson with some 20 volunteers from the RAMSI military and police contingents have been helping out in conducting AFL football training and games at KGVI.

Quoting Graeme Wilson “We are hoping to raise the money, with support from some local businesses, to be able to send the first ever Solomon Islands AFL team to participate in an important Under 16 regional tournament in Tonga in December,”

Freddie Una has been named captain of the squad. He was the first ‘graduate’ of the program, as he participated in the South Pacific squad in the Australian National Under 16s championships earlier this year. Again, the Solomon Star reports AFL team Tonga bound. The team consists mostly of unemployed youths at one of the settlements in the City plus some High School students. and on Una, Earlier this year, one boy, Freddie Una, was given the chance to go to Australia to play in the South Pacific Nations Team and this has helped change his life.

Freddie is now a leader amongst his peers.

As has been reported recently in the Age, with the King of Tonga taking an active interest in Australian Footy in Tonga and the prospects of building a footy academy in Tonga – it’s good to see the Solomon’s team already courting the attention of the Prime Minister, Danny Philip, who was one of around 240 guests who attended a fund raising dinner at a Honiara Hotel.

Footnote 1: Solomon Star story on Freddie Una's experience in Australia from July this year.

Footnote 2: Solomon Star story on cricket and Ramsi includes the following quote : Progress has been made in developing cricket in Honiara over the past two years but much remains to be done, particularly in terms of getting the game into schools. This will be a priority next year and will be taken forward with the help of a Youth Ambassador who will arrive early in 2011 to assist the development of cricket and AFL.