The Cook Islands Football Association’s (CIFA) Player Development Officer, Daniel Taokia, has recently returned from attending the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Player Development workshop titled “Play Like the Stars: Nurturing success on the field of play and in the field of life” in Auckland, New Zealand. The event, which took place from October 25-27, 2023 at the Pulman Lodge, is the first of its kind since 2017.
Organized by OFC Player Development and spearheaded by Phill Parker, the workshop aimed to enrich all participants with meaningful and impactful experiences across various forms of football. Among the goals of the event are increasing fundamental knowledge of global Player Development best practices, instilling a sense of pride and belonging within the OPDON (Oceania player development officers’ network) initiative membership, and growing the game to provide positive experiences for all involved.
Participants in the three-day modular workshop included representatives from all eleven Member Associations across Oceania, OFC Football Division Chief Patrick, Head of Department Paul as well as staff from various OFC departments such as Clubs & Leagues, Social Responsibility, Futsal, Goalkeeping and Women’s Football. WAIBOP Development Officer Natalie Broadbent also took part alongside players from Papakura City FC and students from Mount Roskill Intermediate School.
Various activities related to football development that were conducted during the event such as introducing OFC’s Player Development model and PLAY methodology; addressing Gender Equality; exploring Futsal; delving into Goalkeeping; discovering alternative forms of football like Walking Football; engaging in cultural football activity design; empowering Women’s Football; conducting practical coaching sessions with local grassroots players; and visiting a local Auckland school programme with Auckland City FC to observe the impact on students.
Covering a wide range of topics from technical aspects to social responsibility, the workshop aimed to achieve three main objectives: review annual activities and or special projects to highlight hero impacts; introduce the OFC Player Development model and PLAY methodology as an innovative approach to football development; and reestablish a collaborative and supportive network of Player Development officers that can discuss football development matters anytime.
Taokia stated “the workshop provided an understanding that will help with my personal growth and will allow me to utilize the resources provided to push for growth amongst players and build their pathways on their football journey”.
With the attendance of CIFA’s Daniel Taokia as well as other key stakeholders in football development, the workshop was a culturally diverse and exceptional learning experience for all involved. Participants engaged and gained invaluable insights into effective player development strategies and left better equipped to grow the game of football within their respective communities. This event reaffirms CIFA and OFC commitment to nurturing talent on the field and providing resources to grow the game of football.
