Football: New Cross-Border League
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that a new football competition, which has been described as ‘trailblazing’, will kick off this weekend in Oceania.
The Oceana Football Confederation (OFC) Professional League comprises two clubs from New Zealand and one each from Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
The winners will qualify for the annual FIFA Intercontinental Cup - pitting the champions of each Confederation together - and the expanded Club World Cup.
The first round of fixtures begins at the Auckland 50,000-seater Eden Park on 17 January 2025, with four more venues hosting stages before a play-off takes place in May.
The head of the OFC Professional League, Stuart Larman, has remarked that there is huge support for football across the region, and he expects to see spectators of more than 10,000 in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
The OFC is paying for flights, accommodation and transportation in order to help the teams to focus on developing their squads, brand and role in the community.
Larman has also stated that:
"The success of the league will depend on strength of the clubs - so all have strong community links or ingrained community involvement.”
And has added that:
"The best players in each country are going to get 17 highly competitive matches guaranteed - that is going to be an enormous jump, because more regular, highly competitive football always improves the quality of a player."
There are high hopes, therefore, that the new League will be a great success and the question is being asked whether the concept will extend to Europe.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
