U16 football squad in Gold Coast tournament

An under 16 Cook Islands development football squad travelled to Australia this week for the 2012 Gold Coast Champions Cup.

The Cook Islands Football Association will spend a week at the event and is expected to gain greatly from the experience.

Head coach Tuka Tisam and assistant coach Paul Luiz Van Eijk have been preparing the development side with training sessions at the CIFA complex during the week while players have played for their respective clubs in the current Rarotonga round cup competition.

“We are looking at exposing our players to playing other footballers from overseas,” says Tisam.

“For some players it will be their first international tournament outside of Rarotonga and we believe that our side will play to the best of their abilities.”

This development tour is part of CIFA’s long term development plan for the preparation and development for future international events.

The development squad is part of a programme that the Cook Islands Football Association has set up since 2009 for under 16 football players.

Elite players are drafted from clubs around Rarotonga and the outer islands, a programme which is run for a year with an intense training schedule in preparation for future international tournaments.

The Gold Coast Champions Cup is an international youth football tournament and cultural exchange held at Carrara Stadium and sports complex in Australia’s Premier international tourist destination the Gold Coast during the September school holidays each year.

The CIFA development squad consist of 17 players and three officials.

Team manager is Junior Enoka, head coach is Tuka Tisam, assistant coach Paul Luiz Van Eijk and the players are Pekay Edwards, Takuina Tararo, Murray Wilson, Edmond Tupuna, Ford Henry, Benjamin Heather, Cahjun Willis, Jarves Aperau, Bobby Aerenga, Kimiora Samuela, Louison Atetu, Dwayne Tiputoa, Antonia Tuaiti, Wiremu Temata, Sunai Joseph, Vaka Nootai and Terei George.

“We hope to accomplish what we have set in place for the team, however we believe this development squad will have an experience that they can learn from and incorporate into our trainings,” says Tisam.