International Youth Football Academy owners Ms Maraia Matatea and Mr Rivaz Ali.
Acting CEO of Vodafone Fiji, Mr Rajnesh Prasad,
Staff and members of the International Youth Football Academy,
Invited Guests,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka to you all.
It is indeed a great pleasure to see Nadi “full of life” again, and what better way to kick-start the weekend – by officially opening the Vodafone Inter Youth Football Competition League and handing over sports equipment and gear to the International Youth Football Academy (IYFA).
They say one of the most valuable lessons your child will learn from sports is how to take risks, how to fail gracefully, and ultimately how to succeed by overcoming failure – so thank you Rivaz and Maraia for creating a community for young and aspiring football players to learn these invaluable lessons.
I must thank the organisers and sponsors for this great initiative, as it not only provides us the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company, but engage in some form of physical activity whilst having fun – and if you’re having fun, you’re certainly winning.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With the IYFA Champions League Tournament opened at the Uprising Sports Complex in Pacific Harbor six months ago, today we are gathered to celebrate another achievement of the IYFA supported by the Ministry’s Young Entrepreneurship Scheme Programme, more commonly known as YES.
The Ministry through the YES Panel Committee has approved a grant assistance of $24,059.45 to purchase water and carrier bottles, sports cones, soccer balls, goal posts, weight lifting equipment, reflecting vest and stop watches, to name a few as necessary equipment and gear for the business.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
To date, the YES Programme has funded 13 recipients and invested over $300,000 in the form of grants to young and budding entrepreneurs who have innovative and bankable ideas or projects.
As a sport loving nation, our presence here today shows our support as parents towards making common cause. I have always believed if we can impart good sportsmanship and fair play in aspiring sporting youngsters, then we have won as a nation in developing the champions of tomorrow.
So I congratulate Rivaz and Maraia for carrying on this endeavor towards preparing young athletes for their sporting future. The IYFA was established in 2016 with the core objective of providing the best standard of training alongside programs to ensure our children are provided top-tier training and development of their football skills.
It would be remiss of me if I do not mention the great strides made by Rivaz and Maraia in guiding children as early as 4 – 7 years of age to learn and succeed in their sporting career and not just prepare for the next competition. The programme has been able to sign up 120 children, which include 14 girls – and seen a 34% increase in annual participation last year.
As we build our children, we must always illustrate the importance for them to “Aspire to Inspire”, as a parent myself I know too well the fruits of instilling discipline, teamwork and networking at an early stage of a child’s life.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fiji Government, wants to realise innovative and unique ideas to build youth for the future – creating sustainable programs and projects to achieve their maximum potential in the long run.
Rivaz and Maraia – I’m certain the next sporting great in football will be groomed here – and the Ministry is delighted to support the development of your business concept through the YES Programme.
More than a business to you – this is your passion, so we congratulate you for elevating the level of football and development training as a sustainable business model.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is not a day for long speeches and I know our young and aspiring tournament participants are eager to get onto the field.
With those words, I wish you all the very best and hope you have an enjoyable time on the field – and off the field for our cool parents who have a huge task ahead of them of cheering on our little champions.
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.