Courtesy: Solomon Star News


GREAT SUCCESS

By Charles Kadamana

Thursday, 20 August 2009

SOLOMON Island Football Federation Martin Alufurai congratulates Elliot Ragomo and Benjamin Totori for their contribution and achievements that earned them the ‘Young Solomon Islander of the Year Award’.

He said SIFF is proud and wish to acknowledge the Ministry of Youths, Women and Children for recognising the achievements and contributions of these two young players. He said both Ragomo and Totori deserve to receive the award.

“They should now be a good role model for our young people to see and start to involve in providing their services to the country,’’ he said.

Alufurai said the award is so special as the duos are still young to deserve such an award with pride.

He said they have great impact both in and outside of the country. This achievement should motivate other young people to pursue such opportunity and excel, not only in sports, but other areas of life.

“We don’t have to wait until at an old ages to contribute our services to this country,” he said.

Ragomo is an inspirational captain of Solomon Islands National Futsal team and won the admiration of the nation as he led the Kurukuru to their second successive victory at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Futsal Championship on July.

His national recognition had earned him the $10,000 prize money for outstanding achievements and contributions to football.

Looking at his personal profile, Ragomo was fortunate to become the first ever Solomon Islander to play futsal at the professional level. He joined and played for the Playas De Castelloon in the Nacional Futsal Liga in Spain in 2007.

The young lad from Western Province graduated from the Playas De Castellon juvenile development squad in 2006 before joining their senior squad.

Back home, Ragomo has been a member of the National Futsal Team following his debut in the U-12 squad.

In 2008, he captained the team that won the Oceania Footbal Confederation (OFC) World Cup qualifiers to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil the same year.

But that is not all because he also the Kurukuru to become the first national team to take part in FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Ragomo will next lead his teammates this October when they participate in a private invitational Confederations tournament in Syria.

Domestically, Ragomo plays for the Brissolona Futsal Club and with Central Titans in the Honiara Beach Soccer League.

The runner-up and national football star Benjamin Totori was nominated for achievements in football.

Like Ragomo, young Totori has been the key ingredient in the rise of Uncles Football Club in Honiara and also New Zealand-based Waitakere United’s twin O-League titles in 2007 and 2008. He is currently training with Marist Football Club.

A former Women’s National Player and Assistant Coach of Koloale Women’s Soccer Club, Noelyn Wagapu, won the female Young Solomon Islander of the Year award.

She was awarded for her outstanding leadership and achievements in community development. Noelyn played in the women’s U-19 squad that toured Papua New Guinea in 2004. She is currently in Wellington, New Zealand, on a scholarship to study radio broadcasting.

The awards were initiated by the Ministry of Youth, Women and Children’s Affairs to recognise the achievements of young people who made a significant contribution to development in Solomon Islands.

The wins underline football as an important contributor in developing and shaping the youth of the country. They come as SIFF starts to highlight the importance of social responsibility as an important aspect of football in the 21st Century.









Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com