The Oceania Football Confederation has launched a women's football strategy - a first in the region. Ashley Stanley learns how OFC want to get two competitive teams into the 2027 World Cup
Torijan Lyne-Lewis’s main sports goal is to play in a women’s football World Cup.
The 26-year-old Samoan football representative has played the sport in New Zealand for as long as she can remember. “I think that is a dream everyone has secretly inside of them, even if they don’t play sports,” says Lyne-Lewis.
But, there’s a major uphill battle when it comes to fulfilling World Cup goals for some footballers and their countries.
History isn’t on Lyne-Lewis’s side as Samoa has never qualified for the pinnacle tournament. In fact, other than New Zealand, no other country in the Oceania region has accomplished the feat of World Cup qualifying. (Technically Australia has, but they’re no longer under the Oceania Football Confederation banner - and that’s another story).
New Zealand have automatically qualified for the 2023 Football World Cup as co-hosts with Australia. And they've just finished as the only OFC country at the Tokyo Olympics, losing all three games in the ‘Pool of Death’ (with Australia, the United States and Sweden).
But with a surge in interest and investment on this side of the Pacific, football fortunes may soon be changing. And Lyne-Lewis may be able to achieve her long-term goal.
The OFC has recently launched its first strategy dedicated to the women’s game - with the ultimate goal of getting two competitive teams into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
There are many initiatives and much work to be done across the 11 countries in the region, but with a set plan it seems more achievable.
The strategy focuses on five key areas, such as raising awareness of possibilities, breaking down barriers to participation, and creating a culture where OFC is leading by example in governance to improve gender equality.
Emma Evans, OFC’s women’s football manager, was key in bringing the strategy together with member associations, after work began a year ago.
“Every staff member at OFC also played a role in developing this strategy and while I will lead the delivery and implementation, the strategy will be the responsibility of the entire organisation to bring it to life,” says Evans, who also played, and eventually coached, football at an elite level.
Ambassadors have been named from each country.
Lyne-Lewis is Samoa’s representative and 19-year-old Teretia Teinaki is the Cook Islands ambassador.
They have different experiences of football - and hope to use what they’ve learned to promote the sport and the benefits it’s provided.
Teinaki moved from the Cook Islands to New Zealand two years ago for study. She is completing a bachelor of sport and recreation degree with a double major in sport management and sport exercise science.
After studying, she would like to join a sports organisation, ideally in football, and eventually play in a professional league. She'd be the first Cook Island women’s player, to her knowledge, to do that.
Teinaki was shocked to receive the ambassador role. But is happy to promote football for women in the Oceania region. “I think it’s a good strategy and it's achievable if everyone works on it,” says Teinaki, who also plays for Manukau United in south Auckland.
Back home in the Cook Islands the sport is growing, Teinaki says. “I think there’s an U16 girls team coming over soon for a New Zealand tour, so that’s good.”
She started playing football seven years ago through a school competition, then moved into playing for club and the football academy in the Cook Islands, eventually debuting for the national side four years ago.
Lyne-Lewis on the other hand is Samoan, Indonesian and lives in Palmerston North.
But she recently moved clubs to play for Wairarapa United in Masterton. Even though it means extra travel time throughout the week for training sessions and games, the change was influenced by coach Paul Ifill.
“I basically wanted to play for him and just recently found out that he’s the new coach for the Samoa football team,” says Lyne-Lewis.
“So I’m in an amazing and unique situation where I can actually play locally and internationally for the same coach.”
Born and raised in New Zealand, Lyne-Lewis made the Samoan team at the start of 2019 after attending a camp in Auckland. She went along when her good friend and now fellow teammate Riva Fuimaono suggested she trial.
“It was very cool. It was a bit of a surprise because I went along to the trial exploring an option,” says Lyne-Lewis. From there she was selected and went to the Pacific Games in Samoa.
Long term, making a World Cup is the goal. But short term, getting more training camps with the Samoan side is important.
“Also some series or games together so we can get that competitiveness and build up that team cohesion,” Lyne-Lewis says. “So, when it comes to the Nations Cups, which are the World Cup qualifiers, we are ready for that.”
It was a big decision to play for Samoa but one she knew would be a “real honour for my family.”
Covid-19 has unfortunately stopped the side’s momentum. “We did really well at the Pacific Games, we actually came second,” Lyn-Lewis says. “We just missed out on winning that final so it would’ve been really great to have continued that momentum.”
Evans says women’s football in the Pacific has grown immensely despite Covid-19 challenges.
“This is an extremely exciting time for women’s football on this side of the world...I have no doubt that we will see an increase in the development, growth and sustainability of women’s football across Oceania.”
In some places, it’s already happening. And Evans has seen the changes.
There is now a full-time women’s football development officer in each member association, with some organisations employing more than one.
And community programmes attracting women to participate like the Heilala Manongi Project in Tonga, a pilot mini-tournament, that had up to 400 people attend the first hit out, and the creation of women leagues in other smaller nations.
“Having a key person to drive the women’s game in each country has made a huge difference to the number of programmes available for girls and women to participate in, both on and off the pitch and this will only continue to grow,” Evans says.
“Working in the Pacific means working with people who are proud of their culture, their community, their people and of course, football.
“This has ensured a holistic approach to women’s football – it is not only about increasing the development and sustainability of football or creating better performances on the world stage, but also about using football as a tool to build stronger, more inclusive communities.”
