Pacific Step Up Tour 2019
As part of the Australian Government’s ongoing commitment to the Pacific, the ‘PacificAus Sports’ initiative was launched in 2018.
Managed by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, its aim is to support opportunities for Australian and Pacific athletes, coaches and administrators to train, play and grow together.
Football Australia was invited to the initiative as a foundational partner, and the Australian U-16 Women’s National Football Team
- the Junior Matildas - became the first Australian National Football Team to tour the Pacific in 15 years, visiting Tonga, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands in August 2019.
Along the way, the team played the first women’s international fixture in the history of the Solomon Islands, generated unprecedented in-country media coverage for women’s sport, pushed creative boundaries for how sport could bring people together - all while being followed by a film crew, who were documenting the journey.
I project managed the tour and served as the Head of Delegation for the 47 person traveling party - take a look at the journey below, or take a read of the longer form piece of writing I authored on the tour here - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/delivering-pacificstepup-tour-westfield-junior-matildas-kieran-lilley/
Tonga
On Thursday 8 August 2019, the Tonga U-19 Women’s National Football Team hosted the Junior Matildas at the Tonga Football Academy in Nuku’alofa. The match was televised by Tonga’s national broadcaster.
While spending time on the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, players from both teams participated in a joint training session overseen by Australian Head Coach Rae Dower, Australian players were hosted by the Tongan captain at her home for morning tea, and several workshops were conducted for referees and coaches.
Vanuatu
On Monday 12 August 2019, the Vanuatu U-19 Women’s National Football Team hosted the Junior Matildas at Korman Stadium in Port Vila.
While in-country, the broader team collaborated with an Australian <> Ni-Vanuatu coffee development, a theatre that uses plays to teach development topics, and conducted sessions of the Just Play sport for development program at local schools.
The trip was capped off with an Australian <> Ni-Vanuatu themed beach barbecue for both teams, with local reggae band Stan and the Earth Force playing a set, Pacific Masterchef contestant Leonid Vusilai cooking up a storm, and firedancing group Vanua Fire bringing the evening to a spectacular close.
Solomon Islands
On Thursday 15 August 2019, the Solomon Islands hosted its first ever women’s international football fixture, with the Solomon Islands U-19 Women’s National Football Team playing the Junior Matildas at Honiara’s Lawson Tama, the national stadium.
The event was ticketed, with men required to pay for admittance. The total recorded attendance was 3,500.
The Solomon Islands Football Federation used the match as an opportunity to establish its first ever women’s committee, and following the tour, the Solomon Islands U-19 Women’s National Team secured a sponsorship with the Bank of the South Pacific. An inaugural women’s football league was launched shortly after in early 2020.
Beyond the fixture, the broader team delivered a two day refereeing and coaching workshop, visited the National Museum of the Solomon Islands, and coached sessions for the Solomon Islands Men’s Olympic Football Team.
