In an effort to instigate innovation in the Fijian football landscape, the Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) has embarked on an ambitious journey with the official launch of the 2023 McDonalds Talent Development League.

The league which kicks off on Saturday is a prime youth competition that will focus on talent identification and development as part of Fiji FA’s Strategic Plan to nurture and strengthen Fijian footballers and a stronger squad for the national team.

“We have players who travel hours to get to training and it’s a sign of commitment and interest,” head of talent development Sunil Kumar said.

“The local football landscape is changing and we are pleased with the attention this league is getting from parents, teachers, schools and coaches and especially young boys and girls. I’m very pleased with the interest from young girls and they are proving to be quite a tough competition.

“We hope to build on what we’ve achieved in our pilot year and expand our reach so no child is left behind. We have a policy of giving every child a chance to play football so they can have the opportunity to try out and be trained and developed. Our talent development programme slogan is ‘Give Every Talent a Chance’ so we want more young and aspiring footballers to participate in one the biggest sports in the world so no one is left behind.”

“It is also the logical evolutionary step in our continued endeavour to help nurture young Fijian players and provide them with optimal conditions in order to deliver at a high level as they grow.

This will see over 2300 young footballers to be part of this league with 160 teams participating from around the country.

The league includes both boys and girls and will run for 20 weeks and will include the Under – 9, U11, U13 and U15 categories.

There are four teams participating from the four national divisions (Southern, Western, Northern and Central Division) require a minimum of four female players apart from the U9 which has a minimum of two and the U15 category having an option to field both a boys and a girls team.

500 female players are expected to participate, which is a positive boost to women’s football.

The league was piloted last year around the country and has gained a lot of traction amongst both girls and boys and will be the launch pad for many future Fijian football stars.

The McDonalds Talent Development League is part of Fiji FA’s Youth Development plan aims to strengthen grassroots football and promote football philosophy of fast football, Totolo Futupolo.

Story by: Waisea Nasokia

Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj