OFC Activity Report 2021

PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD

The Oceania Football Confederation and its Member Associations entered 2021 with the intent of building a stronger foundation that would deliver on future strategy and planning.

Despite the challenges of going back to play, with the cancellation and postponement of all OFC Competitions, we succeeded in these goals.

I set a clear mandate as OFC President in 2019, for our football, people and communities across Oceania. One of these commitments focused on implementing the OFC Football Development Strategy 2019-2026 and we delivered and achieved many of those outcomes in 2021.

The pandemic did not stop the continued development of football, with local competitions across the region taking place. The Football Division have worked tirelessly with our Member Associations to deliver top-level development programmes across women’s football, refereeing, goalkeeping, coaching and high performance.

Alongside this, history was made for women’s football in our region with the launch of the ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 in July 2021. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 co-hosted in Australia and New Zealand, we moved to leverage this opportunity to bring women’s football to the forefront in Oceania and open pathways to grow the game from grassroots through to the elite levels.

Another key commitment was the completion of the Home of Football, and I am proud to say that this long-standing dream for OFC became a reality in September 2021. FIFA has been unwavering in its commitment to ensuring that football is developed across the world and without their support and funding, our dream of a dedicated football hub would not have been achieved. UEFA Assist also played a key role by providing funding needed to complete this project, and for that Oceania is grateful.

OFC is proactively leading the standard of good governance, accountability, and transparency across the region with our Member Associations to ensure we are effectively building the foundation to success. A good governance framework was initiated by the OFC Executive Committee, to be implemented as a guide.

Our Confederation-wide goal remains the same: to qualify two teams at the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2027. And with this benchmark, OFC has focused on building the foundation to adapt the football development strategy across the region in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Again, we are deeply appreciative of the support from FIFA for the COVID-19 Relief Plan and FIFA Forward 2.0, which helped maintain a high level of support to our Member Associations and ensured the swift and safe return of football.

I wish to express my thanks to UEFA Assist for the support we have received for the development of the OFC Learn platform and the approval on funding for our digital, livestreaming and broadcasting equipment and capacity building workshop for our 11 Member Associations.

I’d like to warmly welcome Allen Parker who joined the OFC Executive Committee on October 12, 2021, as President of the Cook Islands Football Federation and thank the rest of the committee for driving the vision and prompt decision making through the year.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you all for putting Oceania first and for committing to the vision for our game over the past 12 months. Last year was another challenging year for football, but with your support we continue to drive forward and work towards elevating football to new levels of excellence.

Lambert Maltock OFC President

GENERAL SECRETARY’S FOREWORD

The 2021 calendar year was one full of innovation at OFC, as we delivered on key milestones that played a vital role in building a stronger foundation for the future.

Football in the Pacific, and indeed the global game as a whole, witnessed the advancement of women’s football in our region with the launch of the first ever strategic plan, ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027. Our vision is a future in football for all and I am proud to say that OFC is championing this strategy. We are committed to increasing the development, growth, sustainability and professionalisation of the women’s game in Oceania, leading to elevated performances on the world stage.

In light of New Zealand and Australia winning the bid to co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, the Oceania Legacy Programme 2023 was developed in partnership with FIFA, AFC, NZF and FFA. Through this, priority projects for lasting impact were identified and initial partnership discussions for funding projects across development networks were initiated.

With the pandemic having an adverse impact on face-to-face workshops, OFC modernised learning across the region through the launch of the OFC Learn platform. We thank UEFA Assist for their funding support and for equipping our people and communities with this online learning tool which has allowed us to expand educational components from football development to involve corporate and administrative resources. The overall reach will expand too, opening the platform up to communities across the world.

A major milestone was achieved with the re-launch of the OFC Commercial Programme when OFC announced a three-year partnership with Score Sportswear Limited (SSL). To support the growth of football in the Oceania region, SSL committed to delivering a high value sponsorship package while being OFC’s dedicated supplier of Lotto branded gear, football equipment, staff sporting apparel and footwear.

New ways of working and technology advancements were common themes across the organisation as Finance and Services made ground-breaking changes with the automation of the payment and reporting systems. Not only does this contribute to the strengthening of OFC’s foundation for the future but it demonstrates that together we are spearheading good financial management in football.

This year also marked the first year for the implementation of the OFC Development Programme 2021-2022 that was introduced in 2020, the programme is a combination of funds from both the FIFA Forward 2.0 and the FIFA Covid 19 Relief Plan. The main vision of this programme is to enhance capacity building and strategic focus in the areas of governance, management, football, and national team development.

And finally, the largest achievement of 2021 was the completion of the Home of Football, so Oceania football now has a dedicated purpose-built home. On December 3 the complex was opened with a Waerea (blessing ceremony) and the Home of Football was gifted the Māori name Te Kahu o Kiwa. We look forward to welcoming FIFA, UEFA, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC Member Associations to a formal inauguration in 2022.

I give my thanks to FIFA and all of OFC’s partners: the New Zealand and Australian Governments, UEFA Assist, UEFA Foundation for Children, UNICEF, Football Australia and Score Sportswear Limited for the confidence and support provided to OFC throughout the year.

I am proud that we have achieved our commitments for 2021. Our work would not have been accomplished without the dedication and hard work from our Chief of Operations Frederic, Chief of Football Patrick and all the OFC Staff, to whom I express my deepest gratitude.

A big part of strengthening football across Oceania is to continue with forward planning and continuously relooking at our strategy to suit the fluidity of the change in landscape caused by the pandemic.

In 2022 we will continue to innovate and focus on a redesigned strategy right across all divisions of OFC to ensure we continue to drive and work towards our long-term goal of qualifying two teams for the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2027.

Franck Castillo General Secretary

CHIEF OF FOOTBALL MESSAGE

Our plan over the year was to revolutionise all our activities and programmes to ensure Football Development, Education and Social Responsibility remained a priority within our region.

Looking back, 2021 was the year we focused on building the foundations for Oceania’s future in football. And I am proud to say that as a division we have achieved this despite many challenges posed by the pandemic.

The launch of the ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 added tremendously to the foundation of our game. As an organisation we have committed to creating an accessible, equitable and inclusive footballing culture for all while empowering and enabling girls and women across all sectors in football.

The Oceania Legacy Programme 2023 was developed in coordination with the OFC Women’s Football Strategy to leverage the opportunities presented by New Zealand and Australia winning the bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. Our vision is to create a catalyst for sustainable impact both on and off the pitch, while activating a legacy of equal opportunity for girls and women in the Pacific.

OFC Learn changed the game for us, an online learning tool was built with Football Development, Coaching and Education courses easily accessible for our people and communities, while at the same time reaching global audiences.

A key focus of 2021 was the feasibility study for the Professional League project. This project is key in professionalising football across the Oceania region.

As we tackled the year, it became clearer that the long-term strategy needed to be amended as COVID-19 impacted many football development activities. One key focus area rested on national teams and it became increasingly important to ensure the continuation of local competitions from youth to senior and ensure development at all categories take place.

I thank my entire division for their continued passion and dedication in 2021 and for consistently driving our vision to qualify two teams for the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2027.

As I look forward to the future, OFC will continue to innovate, prioritise and lift the standards of the game across all levels for the future of our football, people and communities

Patrick Jacquemet Chief of Football

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

It was a ground-breaking year for women’s football as OFC launched its first ever strategic plan dedicated to the female game in July 2021.

The ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 aims to increase the development, growth, sustainability and professionalism of the female game, while it lays the foundations for helping OFC achieve its vision of having two teams at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

The strategy is built on five pillars:

• An Equal Oceania – Participation: Breaking down the barriers

• A Visible Oceania – Visibility: Raising the awareness of possibilities

• A Stronger Oceania – Education: Building the foundations

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An Elevated Oceania – Performance: Raising the standards

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An Inclusive Oceania – Culture: Leading by example

To celebrate the milestone, a launch event was held in Auckland, with guest speeches from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, OFC President Lambert Maltock, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Sarai Bareman and CONCACAF Head of Women’s Football Karina LeBlanc via Zoom. OFC Executive Committee Member Johanna Wood was among the high-profile guests able to attend in person.

Also revealed on the night was the OFC Women’s Football Ambassador Programme where OFC appointed 11 Women’s Football Ambassadors, one from each Member Association to carry out the values of women’s football across Oceania.

Another key part of the women’s football strategy was establishing a Women’s Development Officer (WDO) in every OFC Member Association. That goal was achieved in 2021 and the number of WDOs across Oceania increased from 12 to 18.

There was also a focus on the continuation of Capacity Building Workshops domestically, aimed at developing the professional and personal skills of women in the Pacific who are interested in working or volunteering in football.

Eight workshops - across Tonga (three), Samoa (three), Papua New Guinea (one) and Fiji (one) - were held with a combined number of 240 participants. Some workshops included festivals where participants were able to apply what they had learned in a practical environment.

Despite the lack of face-to-face interaction due to the pandemic and border restrictions, the Women’s Football team were still able to work collaboratively with the MA staff online via Zoom.

On the field, although Fiji went into a national lockdown in August, the 2021 Digicel Women’s Super League made a return months later and Ba FC completed an undefeated campaign to take out the competition. In Vanuatu, they celebrated a first with the introduction of a Women’s Champions League which saw eight participating teams. New Zealand’s top women’s competition – the Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup - also went ahead.

Looking ahead, the focus will be on bringing the ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 to life, as the region increases performances on the pitch, while building capacity and capability off the pitch. OFC will also focus on the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2022 set in July in Fiji, where the champion will qualify to play off for a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

OFC’s commitment to player development continued in 2021 with a significant increase in participation at Grassroots Football Development Programmes.

Over 500 Grassroots Football Festivals were held throughout the year, catering to over 38,748 participants – with a 76 percent increase on the previous year (21,905 participants). Football Festivals are opportunities for children between 6-12 years old to give football a go in a fun and inclusive environment.

Development Centres were also an increasing area of growth for player development as over 2,000 children took part across the 60 Centres in formal settings. The Centres operate between an 8-12 week window, providing players with an equal opportunity to develop skills, play games and enhance social messaging.

The Oceania Player Development Officer Network, known as OPDON, continued to provided support, guidance, and direction for Player Development Officers in every Member Association. The confederation initiative was rolled out online with a series of eight workshops being facilitated. Two of these sessions were held at the end of the year to review the annual grassroots and youth activities and also to highlight the areas of improvements for the preceding year.

The OFC Skills Challenge Awards Programme was also refreshed and relaunched to help inspire a child’s passion for the game and enhance their relationship with the ball. The programme is also used as a self-training tool for those that aspire for higher rewards, but it is just as important for anyone that wants to improve how they interact with the ball. At a fundamental level, the programme will have a big influence on the future of a child’s football development and sense of achievement. The OFC Skills Challenge Programme is currently active in Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia in various forms. To support the relaunch of the program, OFC ran an online social media campaign in April called OFC Stars of Tomorrow. The campaign saw a series of educational videos posted on OFC social media platforms, encouraging children to get active, while showcasing the region’s aspiring young footballer potential.

GOALKEEPING

OFC’s goalkeeping development continued to build in 2021 with support of our Member Associations through the Football Development Programme. A key focus was building capacity of goalkeeping development officers to deliver goalkeeping programmes and coach education for both male and female goalkeepers and goalkeeper coaches.

A highlight in the female space was Fiji hosting their first course tailored specifically for females online. The Introduction to Goalkeeping Coaching Course ran for two days and saw a total of 17 participants from across Fiji’s, north, south and west divisions interact over Zoom. and development in Member Associations headlined the goalkeeping highlights of 2021.

With COVID restricting travel to our Member Associations this provided a great opportunity with technology playing a key role in connecting the OFC Goalkeeping Development Team. With monthly online workshops across a range of topics, for example OFC Learn and Goalkeeping Development software webinar. These coupled with regular Member Association online meetings connection of our OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has never been better.

The OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has grown with Samoa adding a GK development officer in 2021. Samoa are now conducting regular training sessions at Development Centre Programmes in Apia and Savai’i with up to 12 young keepers in each of these sessions.

Elsewhere, New Zealand Football had 25 goalkeeping coaches pass their OFC/NZF Goalkeeping C Licence, paving the way for both organisations to conduct the Goalkeeping B Licence. The addition of former Premier League goalkeeper Jonathan Gould with New Zealand to the OFC Goalkeeping Development Team has brought huge experience and quality to our region and has already benefitted many both in New Zealand and our other Member Associations.

In Tahiti a four-hour Discovery Goalkeeping Coaching Workshop with 11 participants was conducted and continues the good work FTF are conducting in goalkeeper development.

With support from the OFC Football Development Programme, the Goalkeeping Development Officers team across the region expanded to seven with both New Zealand and Samoa filling these roles in 2021.

Looking ahead, the department will focus on building the profiles of Goalkeeping Development Officers in each MA, while continuing to promote their work.

FUTSAL

The popularity of futsal across the Pacific continues to rise, thanks in large part to the introduction of several local competitions and the success of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 in Lithuania.

Oceania champions the Solomon Islands participated at the World Cup in September. Quarantine stints and the need to get overseas and gain some match fitness meant the team were away from home for two months to take part.

While most domestic competitions felt the impacts of the pandemic, many Member Associations were still able to carry on with their regular futsal national leagues and the addition of new competitions and initiatives continue to shape the future of futsal in the region.

Fiji’s Suva and Ba finished the 2021 year by claiming the Southern and Western titles of the Digicel National Futsal League respectively.

Ba had an impressive campaign, losing just once in 15 games, while Suva took out the competition with a round to spare.

At development level, Fiji hosted a three-day Senior Futsal Coaching Course with 20 participants in Vatuwaqa. The course was overseen by former Fiji futsal national team player and coach Mira Sahib, who is also an OFC Futsal Coach Educator.

Youth and senior coaching courses also took place in New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu using local educators.

A C Licence coaching course in Solomon Islands was followed by online assessments for all coaches who participated in C Licence courses in Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu during or after 2019.

With support from the OFC Football Development Programme, OFC welcomed new Futsal Development Officers in Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

In Tonga, the first-ever Just Play Fun Festival Tournament was held at Vava’u High School with 32 teams registered to the event. The new men’s and women’s futsal leagues were a huge success and benefitted from being played in the indoor stadium in Tongatapu.

In Samoa, the Federation introduced futsal to over 200 young footballers at their inaugural futsal festival. The programme was targeted at boys and girls from the U-12 and U-14 age groups.

Futsal festivals were also merged with coach education in Samoa as an opportunity for coaches to apply what they learned in a practical environment. The festivals were designed as a way to introduce players to futsal and teach them the basic skills and rules of the game.

In 2022 the introduction of women’s futsal competitions and activities are a priority. OFC

BEACH SOCCER

Beach soccer continued its trend of steady growth across Oceania in 2021, with achievements on both the domestic and international front.

At local level, the Solomon Islands’ Mariner National Beach Soccer Championship took place in Honiara. The event served as a showcase for the code, with spectators flocking to DC Park to watch the action.

Malaita Kwikwi went unbeaten and were crowned winners for the second year in a row after their 5-3 win against Honiara in the final.

The Cook Islands introduced beach soccer into their programme for the first time, which included the participation of men’s and women’s teams at the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee Beach Games.

Similar activities took place in Tahiti as the Fédération Tahitienne de Football hosted their inaugural beach soccer festivals for kids between 5-18 years, playing matches across four different locations in Paofai, Papara, Aorai and Tinihau.

Vanuatu and Tonga continued to build their beach soccer programmes with regular tournaments and training sessions for seniors and youth.

The OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup was set for May, before border restrictions caused it to be cancelled. The OFC Executive Committee nominated Tahiti to compete at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™ as Oceania’s representative, based on current world ranking and sporting merit.

The Tiki Toa performed admirably once again on the world stage, topping their pool at the tournament and securing a spot in the playoffs for the fourth time (having earlier done it in 2013, 2015 and 2017), in what was the nation’s sixth World Cup.

Going forward, introducing new beach soccer activities for women in Member Associations, in keeping with the objectives of the OFC’s Women’s Football Strategy, is a key priority. There will also be a focus on player development with the integration of beach soccer into grassroots activities, while OFC anticipates a return to international competition through the OFC Beach Soccer Cup 2023.

CLUBS AND LEAGUES

Raising the standards of club football and sharing the importance of club licensing were at the heart of work conducted last year by the OFC Clubs and Leagues office.

This included the development of OFC’s first Introduction to Club Management Certificate Course, which aims to raise the standards of administrators at national and domestic club football level.

In June a workshop was piloted internally with OFC Staff before seven sessions were delivered to 80 administrators online. The learning material was spilt into three parts; understanding club football in Oceania and developing club capability in a Pacific football context, identifying what makes a club unique, learning basic principles of Club Licensing and creating a development plan.

OFC continues to target Club Licensing development and implementation in various Member Associations, as well as the OFC Champions League, with updated regulations tailor-made to meet the needs of MAs focusing on six key pillars:

• Sporting, which covers registered players and qualified coaches

• Infrastructure, such as having a stadium to play matches in and adequate training facilities

• Human resources, ensuring the club have staff in key positions in a recognisable staffing structure

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Legal, making sure the club is a registered entity

• Financial, balancing the numbers and financial responsibility

• Social Responsibility, this pillar is unique to OFC and focuses on activities the club undertakes away from their senior teams such a running community football programmes or social development campaigns

Member Associations are moving closer to implementing updated Club Licensing Regulations in their respective National Domestic Leagues for men and women. New Zealand Football became the first Member Association from the region to have their 2021/2022 Club Licensing regulations endorsed by OFC and FIFA.

Looking ahead, taking the Club Licensing process to a digital format across selected Member Associations through an online platform on COMET is the next step for Clubs and Leagues in keeping with a focus on boosting club capability across the region.

EDUCATION

The development of football and futsal coaches continued across the region through the launch of the Confederation’s online learning platform OFC Learn, alongside the delivery of coaching courses.

Funded by UEFA Assist, OFC Learn aims to create a community of learners and revolutionise the way people learn in the Pacific and in other regions around the world. The platform offers different educational resources such as online courses, webinars and articles, providing support for football coaches, volunteers and administrators.

The community groups feature, where users can share examples of good practice, will complement distance learning required for coaches to complete their qualifications.

In 2021 there was a substantial increase from 520 to 3,300 coaches who attended OFC Certificate Coaching Courses. International border restrictions made it challenging for coaches to participate in OFC Licence Coaching Courses, however OFC adapted to the circumstances by providing a blended delivery approach of online, in-person and distance learning. As a result, we were able to cater to over 400 coaches (an increase of 6 percent on the previous year).

A new OFC Coach Educator Programme was also launched with 37 trainee educators from seven Member Associations taking part in the six-month course.

Innovation was seen by the Member Associations, as Fiji conducted their first four-day virtual workshop for women’s coaching capacity building, and Tahiti provided an opportunity for coaches to learn new ways of teaching football to people with disabilities.

The team also welcomed four new members, with the addition of an E-Learning Development Manager, along with an Online Learning Designer, Coach Educator and Mentor and Education Consultant.

The future focus is on working towards developing an OFC Learn App and OFC Pro Licence course.

HIGH PERFORMANCE

The introduction of National Academies in two Member Associations, coupled with the introduction of Hudl, headlined High Performance growth in the region last year, while on the field several Oceania nations appeared in international competitions.

The creation of the National Teams Preparation Fund last year aims to increase the activity of national teams and help to raise standards. Member Associations are provided with guidance, expertise and funding from OFC if they can demonstrate an appropriate level of long-term planning for national team activity.

Competition activities at home may have been disrupted by the pandemic, but that did not stop the region’s top national and club sides from competing abroad, and in a couple of cases achieving historic firsts in the process.

New Zealand had both men’s (U-23) and women’s (senior) teams take the field at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with the men becoming the first Oceania men’s side ever to make it through to the quarter-finals at the tournament.

It was not the only time football fans got to see New Zealand teams perform against international opponents in 2021 either, with both the All Whites and Football Ferns able to take part in a number of international friendlies throughout the year.

Tahiti once again showed their strength in Beach Soccer, securing a World Cup playoff berth for the fourth time in their history as they qualified through the quarter-finals of the tournament in Russia, while in the 11-aside game AS Pirae made history as the first Tahitian club to attend a FIFA Club World Cup, appearing in February this year as part of the delayed 2021 edition of the competition. They had earlier been nominated to replace Auckland City FC who withdrew due to border restrictions in New Zealand.

The Solomon Islands performed admirably in a tough group at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™, which included eventual champions Portugal.

Off the field OFC provided to all Member associations, via the Hudl platform, access to an extensive suite of tools aimed at enhancing football performance and development through video and data.

Following the formation of a National Academy for female footballers in New Caledonia last year, efforts will focus on nurturing the development of an academy programme for boys in

REFEREEING

Refereeing development made progressive steps in 2021, with growth achieved in a number of key areas.

The OFC Referees Department offered ongoing support and encouragement to Member Associations to hold Refereeing Courses and Refereeing Instructor Courses. As a result, there was an increase of participants introduced to refereeing (13 percent), the number of certified referees in futsal and beach soccer (150 percent) and OFC-accredited referee instructors (29 percent).

For the FIFA Futuro III Referee Instructor Course, all 11 Member Associations were represented among the 31 participants. Facilitated by FIFA, the course ensures Member Associations are provided with the latest coaching, trends and concepts to develop, educate and train their instructors and match officials.

In November the OFC Referees Academy Programme returned after it was cancelled in 2019 and 2020 due to challenges presented by the pandemic. The first session was delivered online to 28 referees. The programme focuses on identifying talent early, while nurturing the wellbeing of young and aspiring referees, which aligns with the OFC Football Division Strategy 2019-2026.

Meanwhile at elite level achievements continued for Oceania match officials despite the ongoing changes to border restrictions and challenges to secure spots in quarantine facilities. Tahiti’s Aurelien Planchais-Godefroy earned five appointments at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™, capping off a memorable World Cup debut.

New Zealanders Chris Sinclair and Antony Riley officiated at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ in September. They were appointed to the opening match between Lithuania and Venezuela, while Sinclair was a part of the action as third referee in the Final between Portugal and Argentina.

In December, New Zealand’s Matthew Conger was joined by assistant referees Tevita Makasini (Tonga) and Bernard Mutukera (Solomon Islands) as OFC representatives at the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™. Together they officiated matches between Morocco and Palestine and then Sudan and Egypt. Conger then went on to be fourth official for several more games, including the Tunisia v Oman quarter-final, while Makasini was named reserve referee on two occasions.

It has been positive in the female refereeing space too as New Zealand’s Anna-Marie Keighley and Sarah Jones joined Maria Salamasina (Samoa), Natalia Lumukana (Solomon Islands) and Stephanie Minan (Papua New Guinea) on the shortlist for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

On a technical side, an amendment to the Laws of the Game was made around handball interpretation (Law 12). The members approved various changes and clarifications to the Laws of the Game at the AGM.

Moving forward development of the next generation of match officials is priority for the OFC Referee Academy, while implementing a ‘Teach the Teacher’ teaching method to ensure consistency in the interpretation and application of the Laws of the Game at grassroots to national level is also a focus.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

While the global pandemic continued to hamper efforts to deliver face-to-face activities in 2021, Social Responsibility met all its Just Play programme targets, reaching 29,500 children through the year.

Of participants surveyed, 93 percent expressed a willingness to continue with football after completing Just Play sessions.

Just Play continues to develop significant social and learning impacts for participants. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of hand washing and other sanitation behaviours, and results show increased rates of hand washing of up to 78 percent after completing the Just Play Programme.

Last year also saw an expanded reach of the programme to different parts of the region. This included the launch of Just Play in Kiribati, the reintroduction of the programme in Papua New Guinea following a three-year absence and extending to include the Ulawa Islands region of the Solomon Islands.

Continued restrictions on physical interaction saw the Social Responsibility department in Fiji innovate and turn to online platforms and a partnership with popular local football show Khel Khiladiyon Ka. Through the show, which ran for eight weeks, 270,000 viewers received key messages delivered alongside fun games and activities.

In 2022 there is an emphasis on the knowledge sharing and support Social Responsibility can provide across all of football, including piloting Just Play Grassroots activity and sharing knowledge and expertise to maximise the social impact and value of football.

In March 2021 the OFC held a FIFA Guardian’s Safeguarding Orientation, which included powerful messages from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and OFC President Lambert Maltock. Work continues to ensure that football is delivered safely and responsibly across the Pacific, with further enhancements to safeguarding resources and training planned for 2022.

Every member of OFC staff has completed the FIFA Guardian’s Safeguarding orientation, while Social Responsibility Managers also hosted orientations in their Member Associations and completed annual safe sport self-audits in August. Festivals were used to promote the safe sport message, with 459 children turning out to support International Safe Sport Day in the Solomon Islands.

Next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ brings with it a huge opportunity to create an enduring positive impact through the Pacific Legacy Plan, which the OFC have been coordinating alongside FIFA, New Zealand Football and the Asia Football Confederation.

As part of the plan, priority programmes linked to the promotion of gender equality and supporting the OFC ALL IN: Women’s Football Strategy 2027 have been identified.

Work at OFC level continued developing a Social Responsibility Strategy and identifying priority areas for scaled impact, with consultation between the confederation and Member Associations around how to achieve the vision of fostering a stronger, healthier and more sustainable Pacific built by football.

Core areas of impact were highlighted, including ensuring inclusive and accessible football for all, continued promotion of gender equality, empowering Member Associations to address local challenges and innovating OFC delivery.

The strategy will tackle some of the most pressing development challenges facing the Pacific, such as high unemployment, promoting health and wellbeing and the increasing impact of climate change.

The department will continue to offer emergency assistance to Pacific nations impacted by

OPERATIONS

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER MESSAGE

Our commitment this year was to be at the leading edge of innovation and in 2021 we made

In no case did the significant challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic halt us from making break throughs in our strategic planning and shaping the foundations for the future of football.

For the Operations Division this meant a renewed focus on building partnerships and kick starting the OFC commercial programme with the launch of OFC’s first ever long-term partnership with Score Sportswear Limited. This partnership ear-marked our promise to optimise revenue for the reinvestment into football development in Oceania.

The launch of the OFC Women’s Football Strategy was a landmark event, radically transforming and challenging the way OFC delivered this experience. The event was remodelled, with an integrated approach of both a face to face and a LIVE online streaming. The first ever Women’s Football digital campaign ‘ALL IN’ was introduced alongside this event, showcasing our change in approach to increase OFC’s digital footprint.

The automation of OFC’s payment and reporting systems and advancements to the procurement workflow, internal processes and the development of the Member Association Maintenance Programme highlighted the focus on professionalism and preparedness, as the Confederation geared up for the recommencement of competitions in 2022.

Strides were also made in streamlining the OFC procurement process, while at a facilities level the setup of the Home of Football and passing of tests by the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute – assessed on a high level of maintenance and care - were significant achievements.

The Competitions Department made several strides to re-strategise the delivery of future tournaments within an unpredictable environment and successfully kick-started the preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers in Doha.

Another breakthrough was the introduction of the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework which underlined the Confederation’s commitment and dedication to strategic planning across the organisation and our Member Associations. This provided another indication of our continuous commitment to building the future of football in Oceania while striving for professionalism.

I would like to thank all our Member Associations for their resilience and dedication throughout 2021 and my division for their commitment to excellence and continuous drive for success for our Confederation, our member associations, people and communities.

While our focus for 2022 will be returning to play with the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers in Doha, our first competition since March 2020, our main goal is to drive future planning.

We set out to focus on strategic planning and capacity building in football management in collaboration with our member associations and to maintain our operational efficiency. while remaining committed to our long-term goal of qualifying two teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2027.

Chief Operating Officer

Frederic Guillemont

COMPETITIONS

Border restrictions and the ongoing health and safety threat caused by COVID-19 triggered a pause on all inter-regional competition in 2021 but presented a chance to focus on efforts to shape the future of competitions on Oceania and achieve the long-term goals of seeing two teams at the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2027.

One major event which did go ahead, after several previous attempts to host it were thwarted by the pandemic, was the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers in Qatar, a huge effort which involved OFC working alongside FIFA the Qatar Football Association and Asian Football Confederation.

The substantial undertaking of hosting an OFC tournament outside of the region for the first time was further complicated by the ever-changing situation with new strains of the virus and planning for it became the focal point of the back end of 2021.

Following the cancellation of the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship and OFC U-16 Women’s Championship, New Zealand was nominated as the OFC participant for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, based on historical results for both competitions.

After originally being nominated as the OFC representative for the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021™, Auckland City FC withdrew due to a change in border settings in New Zealand and AS Pirae were nominated in their place.

There were strides at Member Association level too, with competitions revamped or introduced, including a Women’s Champions League in Vanuatu.

The lack of competitions activity did present some positive opportunities, including the chance for the Competitions Department to make strides in digitising historical competition data on the COMET platform.

Extensive planning for the future of OFC competitions – in an environment still likely to feature an active global pandemic – will continue to be a focus throughout 2022, along with further developing capacity building programmes at a Member Association level, with an eye to introducing a professional league in the future.

COMMERCIAL AND COMMUNICATIONS

The addition of several new team members in a new-look department structure, enhancements to the way OFC communicates, launching the ALL IN: Women’s Football Strategy and the signing of a long-term agreement with Score Sportswear Limited (SSL) headlined a big year for the Commercial and Communications Department.

The multi-pronged partnership with SSL involves sponsorship, provision of virtual services in the areas of digital marketing and creative design and support to the OFC Ambassador Programme, which included 11 Ambassadors being appointed as part of the ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 and the announcement of Fiji legend Roy Krishna as a male Ambassador.

The partnership also includes the supply of Lotto branded gear, football equipment, staff sporting apparel and footwear.

Five new staff members joined the department in 2021, including a Marketing Specialist, Production Manager and Media and Communications Manager, and with that came growth in the OFC’s own content and marketing capabilities.

Following a review and feedback from staff, a new monthly e-newsletter called In the Net was introduced as part of efforts to enhance internal communications, while externally growth was achieved in a number of key digital metrics.

The Commercial and Communications Strategy was revamped in 2021 to refocus on the wider organisational activities due to the absence of regional competitions as a result of the pandemic. Due to the revamped strategy, the OFC’s overall social media audience grew by 20,000 over the calendar year, while YouTube views surpassed one million and crossnetwork impressions and engagements both jumped by over 60 percent.

The Commercial and Communications Department also delivered tailor-made online workshops to the 11 Member Association media officers, focussing on marketing, broadcasting and producing and publishing content.

The flagship event for 2021 was the ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 launch in Auckland. The pandemic required the OFC to innovate when it came to delivering the event, with an online stream provided for 10 of the 11 Member Associations (New Zealand Football were able to attend), alongside other guests and dignitaries around the world.

A number of New Zealand-based guests and media were also able to attend in person.

The subsequent ALL IN digital campaign reached an audience of 1.7 million and garnered 76,000 engagements, a huge success in increasing OFC’s digital footprint and a first step in the right direction for the revamped Commercial and Communications Strategy.

Going forward our focus will be on building and implementing the Commercial and Communications Strategy 2023- 2027 and on increasing the commercial capability of the OFC and its Member Associations through offering upskill opportunities and ongoing mentoring.

FINANCE AND SERVICES

Ongoing advancements in payment and reporting systems continue to strengthen the OFC’s foundations for the future and underline the Confederation’s commitment to professionalism and excellence off the field.

A move to increasingly automated financial processes, alongside enhancements to procurement workflows, not only improved internal processes at OFC but ensured football in the region continues to move with technology and be a leader in the space of good financial management.

This work was a feature at Member Association level too, with financial strategic planning workshops launched in Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The 2020 financial statements audit was completed with unqualified opinion on independent auditor’s report, with the FIFA Central Review 2020 Report producing zero findings that had no supporting documents, insufficient documents or transactions made in cash.

An Internal audit on Finance and accounting policy found no major issues.

In a first for the OFC, the Department also introduced a financial risk management framework.

On the Services front the setup of the new Home of Football and eventual shift from the former headquarters at Mount Smart Stadium was a major project ahead of the official opening of Te Kahu o Kiwa towards the end of 2021.

Both Field 1 and 2 at the Home of Football also passed tests by the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute because of a high level of maintenance and care.

The OFC Facilities Manager also helped kick off a new initiative in the shape of the Member Association Maintenance Programme, which was developed alongside a FIFA Consultant. It aims to supplement the investment in infrastructure across the region by helping each Member Associations to design their own framework to suit their individual needs.

Continued growth in the areas of good financial management governance will continue to form a key part of the department’s focus in 2022, with further workshops and sessions planned to ensure Member Associations improve professionalism and capability.

Automation of payables process

• Launched financial strategic planning workshops with 4 Member Associations

• Introduction of a financial risk management framework

• Completing the move to the Home of Football

MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS SERVICES

The Member Associations Services (MA Services) unit took the lead in innovation in 2021.

Their vision and continuous efforts to strengthen the foundation and support to all OFC MAs became the driving force as we witnessed the implementation of a new structure with the introduction of a MA Services Consultant.

This expansion catered to the objective of crafting key advancements in strategic planning, capacity building in corporate governance and OFC’s Member Associations Strategy.

The introduction of the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework was a first step to building a solid foundation for strategic planning across OFC and its Member Associations, building the foundation for measurable strategic outcomes.

Training and development workshops were provided to all Heads of department and Unit managers to build capabilities that would support them in reshaping existing strategies to accommodate the change in landscape as a result of the on-going impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Strategic Planning workshops were introduced virtually in to all the General Secretaries, Technical directors and management teams across our Member Associations except for New Zealand. This is part of the process which will see Member Associations drive their own strategy and vision for the future.

Among the topics covered across the workshops was defining the purpose and benefits of strategic planning, explaining the framework of OFC support and looking at the practical side of how to operationalise plans through methodology of OKRs.

Overall OFC aims at providing Member Associations with all the tools and training to succeed and this marks the start to a journey that OFC and its Member Associations will embark on together.

The next phase of the unit’s development will focus on the continuation of the Strategic planning workshops which will run throughout 2022 and the introduction of the MA Services Strategy 2023 – 2027.

EXECUTIVE

GOOD GOVERNANCE

For the Legal and Compliance Department, 2021 was a year of reform with key governance objectives implemented.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, delaying the delivery of some programmes, changes were still made within OFC’s legislative framework and services were delivered to enable Member Associations to achieve compliance and governance reform.

In 2021, the OFC Code of Ethics was redrafted to include minimum sanctions for breaches which was approved by the OFC Executive Committee. The OFC Travel and Expenses

Policy was significantly redrafted and implemented following the OFC Executive Committee’s approval. In conjunction with the OFC Audit and Risk Committee, a Risk Management Framework concept for the Confederation was introduced.

The OFC Legal and Compliance Department competently worked with the OFC Competitions Department to deliver four different workshops across all the Member Associations, to inform them of the new FIFA Eligibility Rules to Play for Representative Teams as per the FIFA Statues and Regulations Governing the Application of the Statues issued in May 2021. At local level, OFC worked alongside FIFA Governance with Samoa to revise their existing statutes and regulations.

On July 8, OFC held its 27th Ordinary Congress which saw the OFC Executive Committee members and Member Association delegates meet online via video conference due to border closures around the Pacific.

Audit and Risk Committee Member Jean Francois Martin and Disciplinary and Ethics Committee Members Judge Becroft and Nilesh Sharma were elected during the Congress.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended along with FIFA delegates and congratulated OFC on the efforts made by the organisation during a global pandemic.

ACTIVITY REPORT 2021

Looking ahead the Legal and Compliance Department aim to conduct workshops with the OFC Judicial Bodies and Standing Committees, roll out a Match Integrity Programme across all Member Associations and work with them to improve governance across their administrative structures. Revising and redrafting the OFC Disciplinary Code and establishing the OFC Privacy and OFC Risk Management Frameworks are also key focuses in 2022.

Amendments to the OFC Statutes:

• OFC Statutes were updated to reflect consistent changes approved at Congress in 2020, the newly approved Compensation Regulations for Senior Officials and the compensation of the chairpersons of OFC Standing Committees

• Consideration of compensation recommendations for the Audit and Risk Committee and Executive Committee have been realigned to fit together

• The scope of the Audit and Risk Committee was extended under the statutes to include the duty to monitor members of the Eligibility Committee failing to meet OFC Eligibility Criteria and Independence Criteria during their term, and the ability to terminate the membership where an Eligibility Committee Member does not meet OFC’s applicable criteria.

HOME OF FOOTBALL

The dream of a dedicated hub for football in Oceania became a reality on December 3, 2021, with the long-awaited completion of the Oceania Football Confederation Home of Football in Auckland.

Built with funding and support from FIFA and UEFA Assist, the facility houses OFC’s New Zealand-based staff and will serve as a welcoming home away from home for touring Member Associations and the wider football family.

In addition to the administration spaces, the Home of Football has two artificial pitches and dressing rooms suitable for hosting elite matches.

Earlier this year both pitches also passed inspection by the New Zealand Turf Institute, recognising a good standard of maintenance by the OFC Facilities department.

After being blessed at a ceremony attended by esteemed representatives from Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Tamaoho, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Tainui (Kīngitanga representative), Māori Football Aotearoa and the OFC, the Home of Football was gifted the Māori name Te Kahu o Kiwa.

Derived from two separate meanings. Te Kahu is short for kākahu and refers to the cloak/the cloth with the intent to ‘keep safe/kia haumaru’ under the principles of manaakitanga/care and aroha/compassion, which are universal principles for Māori and whanaunga rangatira o te Moananui ā Kiwa/esteemed relations of the Pacific. Kiwa is an ancient ancestor for Māori and Te Moananui ā Kiwa/The Great Ocean of Kiwa/Pacific Ocean and provides the hononga/ connection to those nations of the Pacific.

Plans are in place to mark the completion of the project with a formal inauguration attended by representatives of FIFA, UEFA and OFC Member Associations.

• Completion of Home of Football

• Maori name Te Kahu o Kiwa gifted at blessing ceremony on December 3

• Fields 1 and 2 passed inspection by the New Zealand Turf Institute, recognising a good standard of maintenance

DEVELOPMENT

FIFA

DEVELOPMENT

FIFA FORWARD 2.0

The Auckland-based FIFA Regional Development Office continued to work closely with the OFC and FIFA’s Regional Technical Consultant on a number of projects through 2021, delivering a collaborative approach tailored to the needs of the region and its Member Associations.

The main focus continued to be on improving football infrastructure throughout the region, with an eye to supporting OFC efforts to improve professionalism and work towards its long-term goals.

In Vanuatu, the biggest infrastructure project for a Member Association in Oceania hit 65 percent completion, with boutique football stadium Freshwota Stadium bringing together office spaces, operational and technical spaces and a football pitch. Meanwhile, the Santo Lugainville Soccer City facility in Vanuatu was also renovated and repaired using funds from the FIFA Foundation Recovery Programme.

The brand-new Fiji Football Association Labasa Academy was completed in late 2021, while significant renovations also were made to the Ba Academy. The work to improve the Fiji FA gym facility also commenced and will be fully accessible, and open to the public to aid the Member Association’s income generation efforts.

A new artificial pitch at the Fédération Tahitienne de Football will improve conditions for footballers year-round, while in New Caledonia the Member Association’s secretariat staff are now housed at the new headquarters in Paita.

A new football complex, incorporating new office spaces, a futsal court, mini pitches and two football pitches also commenced in 2021 in Samoa. Similarly, major renovation works to the national training centre in Kimbe and the PNGFA headquarters were approved in 2021 with work already commencing across all projects.

A new initiative, the Member Association Maintenance Programme, was developed with assistance from the OFC Facilities Manager and a FIFA Consultant, to supplement the investment in infrastructure across the region by guiding the Member Associations to design their own framework to best manage their own assets.

Advances in financial governance were also a focus, with a workshop on the topic being conducted to supplement guided sessions between the FIFA MA Division’s Financial Governance team and Member Associations on specific matters.

The FIFA+ introductory workshop was conducted with all Member Associations enjoying strong support from the OFC to benchmark the existing set up and capacities at the domestic level. Statutes revisions continued around the region, led by the Member Association Governance team with support from the OFC Legal Department.

The MAs also worked in close collaboration with the FIFA Regional Technical Consultant and other FIFA departments.

FIFA COVID-19 RELIEF PLAN

BREAKDOWN OF THE FIFA COVID 19 RELIEF PLAN 2021:

Without exception the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on football across the Oceania region, and at its peak football had completely come to a halt.

Over the last year, significant disruptions to Oceania’s football development activities, national teams’ preparation and domestic leagues were the common theme due to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic across the region. 10 out of 11 Oceania nations had severe border restrictions or completely closed borders.

In the spirit of unity, solidarity and mutual understanding, FIFA’s ground-breaking Covid-19 Relief Plan made available USD $2 million to OFC to support all of OFC’s 11 ordinary members to help alleviate the financial impact caused by the pandemic

In accordance with OFC strategic framework, including the OFC Football development strategy approved in 2018, the OFC Executive Committee decided on 21 July 2020 to reshape the OFC Development Grant (Former OFC FAP – NZD200,000 per year per member association) into a full-fledged development programme providing up to NZD350,000 per year per member association with a strong focus on football development activities, capacity building and support to national teams preparation.

The OFC Development Programme represents a 72% increase (NZD3,300,000 equivalent to USD 2,211,000) over the two-year period by comparison to the previous OFC Development Grant (former OFC FAP).

OFC is using this funding under the FIFA Covid 19 Relief Plan, in its entirety and in addition to FIFA FOIRWARD 2.0 funds to guarantee that additional investment in football development within each member association (MA) over the period of 2021- 2022. Details as per below: OFC and its Pacific communities are deeply thankful to FIFA for helping football in its hour of need.

$1,105,500.00 $1,335,074.63

$3,940,000.00 $2,604,925.37

Total $3,940,000.00 $2,639,000.00 $3,904,000.00

121,370.42

121,370.42

121,370.42

271,370.42 121,370.42 150,000.00

271,370.42 121,370.42

121,370.42

121,370.42

121,370.42

271,370.42 121,370.42

271,370.42 121,370.42 150,000.00

271,370.42 121,370.42 150,000.00

2,985,074.62 1,335,074.62 1,650,000.00

$2,639,800.00

$120,600.00

$5,279,600.00

$2,000,000.00

$3,279,600.00

$5,279,600.00

150,000.00 120,018.83

150,000.00

150,000.00

150,000.00 150,000.00

150,000.00 33,526.50

150,000.00 125,000.00

1,328,545.33

150,000.00

150,000.00

150,000.00

1,650,000.00

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

THANK YOU for all your

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

your support in 2021