Cook Islands eyeing Oceania U16 Men’s Championship playoff spot

The Cook Islands U16 football team is aiming to finish in the top two in the preliminary rounds when it takes on Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand at the OFC U16 Men’s Championship in Tahiti this month.

National coach Ngatupuna (Ngati) Manuela said this would put them in a good position for the playoffs.

The national team includes players who attended the Cook Islands Football Association U15 Boys Academy and competed in the Oceania Football Confederation U15 Boys Development Championships last April.

Manuela said the team has been training hard three times a week since January.

“The team has participated in many team-building workshops both on and off the field,” he said.

“We incorporate the players’ ideas into their development. Personally, our goal is to stay on top at the end of the preliminaries and put ourselves in a good position for the playoffs.

“I know it will be a challenging task, but I believe in my team and the unique strengths each player brings to the game.”

Team manager Jason Lindsay said the players are all members of the CIFA Academy and were selected from this training group.

In addition to the Cook Islands, which are drawn in Group A, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands will also participate in the upcoming tournament.

“From an administrative perspective, we’ve been doing everything we can to give the boys the tools they need to compete internationally,” Lindsay said.

“For many of the boys, this will be their first time competing in an international tournament. In addition to on-field training with their coaches, they also attended mental training sessions with national U21 tennis coach John Glassie and had the opportunity to hear from Pacific Games multiple medallist Andre Tutaka George on his international experiences and learnings.”

Lindsay added that they placed a strong focus on improving their teamwork and communication skills, and they understood that to do well in this event, they needed to plan from all angles and master on-site skills.

The team will leave Rarotonga on Tuesday, July 23, with the first match being against Vanuatu on July 28.

The tournament will be held from July 28 to August 10, and the champion and runner-up will represent Oceania in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Cook Islands U16 – Aiga Samania, Eliakima Webb, Harold Rasmussen, Ioane Brogan, Josef Crocombe, Kenya Enoka, Macfan Rani, Maui Denny, Paul Ngaroi, Sounuu Kaveao – Gempton, Tahitoa Webb, Tamuera Newnham, Tana Raina, Temata Rouru, Terepai Karan, Tom Tetini, Tuni Tuni, Taylor Emil, Zarian Heather-Law. Management team: Head coach – Ngati Manuela, Team manager – Jason Lindsay, Assistant coach – George Ellis, Assistant manager – Ed Brogan Jr, Goalkeeping coach – Tyson Tekeu.