Is there anything as joyful to watch as the face of a Solomon Islander playing football?
Last weekend, I stopped at a local game near White River. The skill with the ball grabbed your attention, but it was the faces of the players and spectators which carried the drama, joy and intensity of each passing minute.
This week, my staff and I can’t wait to see Oceania’s best players go head-to-head here in Honiara in round 4 of the OFC Pro League. What a time to be a football fan in Honiara!
The Australian High Commission is very excited to see Aussie club South Melbourne FC here as part of the coming carnival of football. And we know that the crowd favourites – the Solomon Kings FC – will be tough to beat on home soil. But it will be the joy of the moment, not the result, which will be the most important.
I know your passion for the Kings starts at the top: Prime Minister Manele has told me he’s the team’s nambawan fan! That’s also true in Australia, where our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles is South Melbourne FC’s nambawan ticket holder. When Minister Marles visited Honiara last month, he and Prime Minister Manele spoke about the value of the Pro League.
Solomon Islands’ first professional sporting club was created through a partnership between the Australian semi-professional club, Wynnum Wolves FC, and the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF). That relationship began two decades ago when Paul Usumae, Joel Konofilia and Jack Samani debuted with the Wynnum Wolves in 2004.
It’s a sporting partnership established off the back of hard work and passionate dedication from unpaid volunteers in both countries, and I thank them for their tireless commitment.
Together, lots of individuals and organisations – over many years – have done so much to grow the game at the community level and to support elite athletes here in Solo, including through Australia’s PacificAus Sports program. This program creates pathways for Pacific teams, athletes, match officials and administrators to access elite competitions and high-performance coaching.
Prime Minister Manele and Australia’s then-Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy launched the new four-year PacificAus Sports partnership with Football Australia in Honiara in August 2024. This has taken our partnership to new heights.
Big time games
Just six weeks ago, Australia’s under-17 men’s national team played two friendlies against Solomon Islands’ under-19 men’s national team. This was their second visit to Solo and my first major activity as Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands.
Round 4 OFC also follows closely, of course, from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. Although the women’s national team didn’t get the result they hoped, many young players gained match experience and there’s a lot to look forward to as the team develops under Aussie Head Coach Daniel Barrett.
Australia supported the team’s incredible journey to their historic 2025 OFC Women’s Nations Cup victory, including flying the women’s team to Australia for critical match experience in the ‘PacificAus Sports Four Nations Cup’.
Many of the national players are juggling training with their caring responsibilities and told us about the challenge of keeping their kids entertained on the sidelines while they are on the field. We provided soccer balls, water bottles, and books to make the sidelines a more entertaining for the kids — and maybe even kickstart the next generation of football stars! Football is family, and for the national women’s squad, kids are part of the team.
Brisbane Roar FC visited Honiara in 2025 and drew 1-1 against the national men’s team in the inaugural ‘PacificAus Sports Challenge’. This made history as the first visit by an A-League team to Solomon Islands.
SIFF and the Australian Government also brought the first-ever international futsal fixtures to Solomon Islands when our national team – the Futsalroos – visited for a three-match series against the Kurukuru in February 2024. This came after we sponsored the Kurukuru to play matches in Australia in 2023.
2025 Australia Player Pathway Program
Our partnership extends beyond touring teams to include individual player support programs. We partnered with SIFF and Aussie football clubs to send five players from the men’s Solo national team to play a season in Australia. Junior David, William Komasi, Javin Alick and Raphael Lei’a are now all playing for Solomon Kings FC, and Rovu Boyers is playing for South Island United.
Off the pitch, we’re also supporting football administrators. Jason Oihanua, SIFF’s Super Futsal League Coordinator, gained valuable experience in matchday operations by working alongside Football Australia’s events team at two Matildas games.
Just Play program
Through Team Up, Australia’s Pacific-wide sports for development program, we partner with SIFF and OFC on the Just Play program here in Solo. This program uses football to teach kids about health; water, sanitation, and hygiene; emergency preparedness; gender equality; social inclusion; and life skills. Because, ultimately, sport is about preparing you for life, not just to win a game.
Live broadcast on SIBC
For those football fans who don’t live in Honiara, no wari. Australia is sponsoring SIBC to live broadcast every match in OFC Pro League round 4. Wherever there’s a radio, you can join the excitement and cheer for Solomon Kings FC. GO SOLO GO!
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