Oceania's Future

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Dempsey Academy is a key development in the future plans of the OFC, both in its objective to secure direct qualification to future World Cup Finals, and in terms of moving into the 21st century. But it isn't the only one.</div> <bR> <div> Already a marketing partnership has been signed with the Oceania Sport Group, which resulted in a new logo being defined for the confederation, a quarterly magazine - 'The Wave', and an OFC Media Guide coming to pass in the first year following the partnership's commencement in 1997. </div> <bR> <div> Neither of the latter publications were continued long-term, instead being overtaken by technology - television coverage of 'the beautiful game' now features prominently in the OFC's media portfolio, along with an enhanced website and copious other instant options which have tended to render the printed word obsolete.</div> <bR> <div> A special taskforce was set up with the objective of focusing on the special needs of the island countries, which make up ten of the eleven members of Oceania. To assist in this process, all OFC members are now fully computerised, with email addresses and at least one full-time employee working for their national association. Also, each country now boasts its own Technical Director of Coaching.</div> <bR> <div> Long-term, each country should have an academy which works in closely with the Charles Dempsey Academy to ensure that programmes are in place for young players, who will also benefit from age-group competitions conducted at these academies. Meanwhile, regular training will be available for referees, coaches, administrators and sports medicine practitioners.</div> <bR> <div> On the field, the relaunching of the Oceania Nations Cup in 1996, and its alignment with the championships held by FIFA's five other confederations, has allowed Oceania to play a full part in, and stand to benefit from, FIFA's Confederations Cup tournament.</div> <bR> <div> Witness Australia's second placing in the inaugural tournament in Saudi Arabia, an effort which earned Soccer Australia's coffers well over $US 1m, once the Socceroos' progress to the final had been taken into account.</div> <bR> <div> Until the advent of the Confederations Cup, the member nations of the Oceania Football Confederation were not privy to the opportunity to gain direct qualification to a tournament featuring the footballing world's elite.</div> <bR> <div> Now there are just two FIFA Finals tournaments to which the Oceania champions do not enjoy direct qualification. The ongoing situation re direct access to both the World Cup Finals and the FIFA Club World Cup Finals - currently Oceania's champion has to play off against the host nation's champions for the right to contest the Finals proper - is one of the obstacles facing the Oceania Football Confederation in the 21st Century.</div> <bR> <div> However, one of the biggest hurdles to progress in the region was removed at the end of 2005, when Australia, for so long the dominant force in Oceania football, switched to the Asian confederation, a move which is proving beneficial for all parties.</div> <bR> <div> New Zealand and the island nations now have the opportunity to compete on the ultimate stages in several FIFA senior and age-grade World Cup competitions, an opportunity which New Zealand has eagerly grasped, qualifying for all but one of FIFA's Finals during the 2010 World Cup cycle, and performing creditably at most of the events, particularly in the women's competitions.</div> <bR> <div> Tahiti reached a FIFA Finals for the first time in their history when qualifying for the U-20 event in 2009, but their inexperience on the world stage was reflected in the scorelines inflicted upon them, in much the same manner New Zealand suffered when they reached the U-17 World Cup Finals at Australia's expense a decade earlier.</div> <bR> <div> A year on, and Papua New Guinea's champion club, Hekari United, became the first club from outside New Zealand and Australia to win the OFC Champions League, scoring a deserved aggregate victory over Waitakere United to earn the $US 500,000 prize money and endeavour to follow in the impressive footsteps of Auckland City at the 2009 Finals in Abu Dhabi, where they finished fifth, beating two professional teams along the way.</div> <bR> <div> The Oceania confederation will, of course, be required to host their fair share of these finals, and realistically, only one nation in the confederation is capable of doing so, particularly from logistical and infrastructure viewpoints. </div> <bR> <div> To that end, New Zealand successfully hosted the inaugural Under-17 Women's World Cup Finals in 2008. Other possible FIFA Finals which Oceania's foremost nation could realistically host in the future include the Club World Cup Finals, and the bi-annual Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup Finals for both genders. </div> <bR> <div> The ultimate goal for the OFC, one which will be truly indicative of Oceania's growth as a Confederation, will be to see its representatives consistently progressing beyond the group stages at FIFA Finals. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oceania Soccer">Oceania Soccer</A></div> <bR> </BODY>