Football in Tuvalu
| Football in Tuvalu | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | Tuvalu |
| Governing body | Tuvalu National Football Association |
| National team | Tuvalu |
| Clubs | 8 |
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions |
FC Tofaga (3 titles) |
| Most successful club(s) |
FC Manu Laeva and FC Tofaga (3 titles) |
 Men's tournamentWomen's tournament |
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Football is the most popular sport in Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is governed by the Tuvalu National Football Association (TNFA). The TNFA became an associate member association of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) on 15 November 2006. The TNFA has been wanting to be a member of FIFA since 1987.
History was made in 2007 when Tuvalu became the first non FIFA member to participate in an official World cup qualifying match. The situation arose when the regional governing body used the 2007 South Pacific Games, as the first stage of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and qualification tournament for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup. Tuvalu performed with great credit, earning a remarkable 1–1 draw with Tahiti in which Viliamu Sekifu became as the first World cup scorer for his country. The other three fixtures in the tournament ended in defeat and Tuvalu failed to progress from their five team group.
In September 2008, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia and the President of the Tuvalu Football Association, Tapugao Falefou, visited the headquarters of FIFA in Zurich, hoping to gain full membership in the organisation. However the lack of football facilities in Tuvalu is a major obstacle membership of FIFA. Tuvalu does not have a stadium, or training grounds or hotels to visiting teams and supporters.
In recent years the TNFA have received support from the Netherlands. In 2011 Foppe de Haan was the football coach of Tuvalu. On 1 May 2012 Stevan de Geijter was appointed as the head of Youth Development at the TNFA.
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