| OFC [1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Short name | FIJI FA |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Suva |
| FIFA affiliation | 1964 |
| OFC [2] affiliation | 1966 |
| President | Rajesh Patel |
| Website | http://www.fijifootball.com.fj |
The Fiji Football Association is the governing body of football in Fiji. It came into existence in 1961. It is the overseeing body of the Fiji National Team and its leagues.
Football started to be played in Fiji ever since the arrival of Europeans in Fiji and establishment of towns like Levuka where significant numbers of sports enthusiasts could congregate and socialise with a friendly game. Missionaries, who established schools in Fiji, introduced football as part of the school program and football was being played in schools as early as 1889. The Suva Soccer Football Club was formed in 1905, made up of European employees of the Government and businesses and similar clubs existed in Nausori and Levuka. In 1910, a team representing Suva played a match against a team representing Nausori. Crew of visiting naval ships also entertained themselves with friendly games of football with local teams. In 1910 a team from Suva played a game against a team from HMS Powerful and won 3 goals to 1. In 1914, a team from Suva played against a team from HMS Torch, at Albert Park, and won by 2 goals to nil.
Fijian teams started playing competitive football in 1924. The first Fijian Inter-District Tournament was played at Nasau Park, Levuka, during celebrations marking the golden jubilee of Cession in 1924. Teams played for the Ricarnie Cup which was won by the Sawani team from Naitasiri. The following year, Bau won the cup. Players played the game barefoot and relied on speed and stamina. Other teams to compete in the tournament were Shamrock from Suva, Kadavu (from Suva), Lomaiviti (from Suva) and Ovalau (from Levuka).
Meanwhile, football was also being played by Fijians in Lautoka. A Friday and Saturday league was organised at the Veitari Grounds and teams that took part were Namoli, Vitogo, Vakabuli, Saru, Yalobi (from Waya), Kadavu, Vanua Levu and Topline. The Namoli Native Soccer Club won the league nine times in a row between 1941 and 1949. A prominent member of the club was Ratu Meli Qoro, who also acted as an official and referee at tournaments. He had learnt to play football at the local Methodist Mission Primary school. In the northern division, football was played between the Wainikoro and Waibula District Fijian Schools in 1938.
The success of Fijians at rugby, tempered their enthusiasm for football and the physical nature of rugby appealed to them and gradually organised football amongst the Fijians died out.
In 1961, Fiji Football Association was formed which was a truly multiracial and national body. With this new status Fiji's football team participated in first South Pacific Games held in Suva in 1963. The opening up of football to all races saw teams like Ba immediately benefiting from the new arrangement. Football in Ba had long enjoyed support from the Fijian community and Ba soon had some good and famous Fijians playing in its team. Suva's multiracial population also provided early opportunity for people of other races to join the football competitions.
Football in Fiji was dominated by the Ba team in the sixties. In the sixties Ba won the inter-district football tournament five times, the last three in a row from 1966 to 1968. Ba also won the North-west football tournament and the Sugar Cup. In 1968, the Fiji Football Association adopted a two tier system where Ba, Labasa, Lautoka, Nadi, Rakiraki, Rewa, Sigatoka and Suva were placed in division A and Levuka, Tailevu-Naitasiri, Tailevu North, Savusavu, Taveuni and Navua were placed in division B. Division B competed for the Fiji Football Association Cup, won for the first time by Levuka. At the end of the season there were promotion-relegation matches. In 1969 the inter-district football tournament was held in Labasa for the first time and Nadi won the trophy for the first time.
In the 1970s, the association was able to convince town councils to build permanent seating structures and grounds for football and by the late nineties all A division teams, except two had such facilities. From 1976 pool play was introduced into the inter-district football tournament. Regular district level competitions were organised with the formation of the National League in 1977. The Battle of Giants tournament started in 1978. A Girmit Tournament was organised in 1979 to celebrate the centenary of the arrival of the Indians
In 1980, the Fiji Football Association acquired its own building, which is being used as an administration centre. For the first time since 1938, the inter-district football tournament was not held in 1987. This was due to uncertainties following the coup and restrictions on playing football on Sundays. 1988 was the golden jubilee year for the association as football in Fiji learnt to perform under the new post-coup conditions.
Football is now well established in Fiji with people of all races taking part. Facilities for players have been greatly improved and the Fiji national side regularly takes part in international tournaments. [3] [4] [5] [6]
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2021) |
| Year(s) | Name |
|---|---|
| 1961–62 |  Abdul Lateef |
| 1962–65 | Manikam Pillai |
| 1966–67 | Abdul Lateef |
| 1967–83 | Manikam Pillai |
Rajesh Patel, since 2006
Air Fiji was an airline based in Nausori, Fiji. It operated inter-island services to destinations within the Fijian Islands. Its main base was Nausori International Airport, Suva, with a base at Nadi International Airport.
The Colonial Cup is a defunct rugby union football competition that was played in Fiji between 2004 and 2008. The Colonial Cup was Fiji's first attempt at a professional rugby competition, but it did not draw sufficient crowds and ceased after five seasons.
Nadi Football Club is a Fijian football club based in Nadi that competes in the Fiji Premier League. Their home stadium is Prince Charles.
Ba Football Club is a Fijian football club based in Ba that competes in the Fiji Premier League, the top flight of professional Fijian football. The club was founded in 1935. The club's home ground is the Govind Park.
The Fiji Premier League or the FPL, also called Digicel Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is the top division men's professional football league in Fiji. Contested by ten teams, it shares a promotion and relegation system with the Fiji Senior League (FSL). The League is controlled by the Fiji Football Association.
The Inter-District Championship (IDC) is the amateur Fijian football cup. Only five teams first took part in the first IDC held in Suva in 1938. From 1938 to 1975, the competition was initially held on a knock out format but in 1976 pool play was introduced. From 1985, the competition was held in two divisions with the introduction of a second level tournament known as the Premier Division. In 1999 there was a short lived third level division. With Navua registering its first ever win of the IDC tournament in 2009, all the current Super Premium Division teams have now won the Lloyd Farebrother Trophy one or more time(s).
Fiji Football Cup more commonly known as the Fiji Fact is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Fijian football. It is organized by the Fiji Football Association.
The 2007 Colonial Cup was rugby union competition held in Fiji. The Fiji Rugby Union controls the Colonial Cup which is used to pick players for the Fiji national team.
Levuka F.C. was a Fijian football team playing in the second division of the Fiji Football Association competitions. It is based in Levuka, which is the only town on Ovalau Island, in the Fiji group. Their home stadium is Nasau Park.
Savusavu F.C. is a Fijian football team playing in the second division of the Fiji Football Association competitions. It is based in Savusavu, which is a situated on the southern side of the island of Vanua Levu.
This is a synopsis of organisations formed by Indians in Fiji. When they became free from the bondage of indenture and were able to organise themselves, they founded numerous organizations to seek social and political justice. These organisations promoted the teaching of Indian languages and religious practices and also to help others in time of need. Some of the successful organisations are listed below in the order in which they were established. Some, such as the National Federation Party, are no longer exclusively Indian, but are still predominantly so.
Maciu Samaidrawa Dunadamu is a Fijian footballer, who currently plays for Savusavu in the Fiji Senior League.
The sport of football in the country of Fiji is run by the Fiji Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the FPL. The national team has had little international success.
Ratu Cakobau Park, known as Vodafone Ratu Cakobau Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-use stadium located in Nausori, Fiji. It is currently used for association football, rugby union and American football matches and hosts the home games of Fiji association football clubs Rewa F.C. and Tailevu/Naitasiri F.C. as well as the games of American football team Tailevu Knights. The stadium has a capacity of 8,000. Ratu Cakobau Park was scheduled to host an international match on 16 August 2011, Fiji against Samoa with both men and women's national teams in friendly action. However, bad weather left the pitch in an unplayable condition and the matches were moved to Thomson Park, Navua.
The 2013–14 OFC Champions League was the 13th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 8th season under the current OFC Champions League name.
The 2014 Fiji National Football League was the 38th season of the Fiji Premier League administered by the Fiji Football Association (FFA) since its establishment in 1977. The home and away season began on 18 January 2013 and the final was on 17 May 2014. Ba FC and Nadi FC represented the Fiji National Football League in the 2013–14 OFC Champions League after finishing as Champions and Runners-up respectively in the 2013 Fiji National Football League competition.
Gurjit Singh is a Fijian professional football manager.
The Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy is a Fijian rugby union competition open to the regional representative teams of the districts of Fiji.
The 2020 Fiji Premier League was the 44th season of the Fiji Premier League, the top-tier football league in Fiji organized by the Fiji Football Association since its establishment in 1977. The season began on 1 February 2020.Ba are the defending champions.
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