Hekari United Men’s team has ended its OFC campaign prematurely in the hard fought battles against some of the top teams in the pacific at Vanuatu recently.
While it was an emotional exit for the team and fans, the attention has now been shifted to Women team who is expected to make a statement in the inaugural Oceania Football Champions League which will be hosted in PNG.
The Hekari United Women’s team will be looking to make history on home turf but it won’t come easy for the them because they have got some strong teams to face.
New Zealand’s champion team Eastern Suburb, who was considered a strong contender alongside Hekari, has withdrawn from the competition. Now all eyes are on the Host team to make a strong campaign.
While the expectation is high for the team to claim easy victories, Head Coach Erickson Komeng says his team will have to fight hard to win games. The games are going to be tough and they have to be the best to come out winners.
Coach Komeng says, Hekari United have had some good filed time in training and is ready to put a strong performance at home and make the fans proud.
“Since we were told that we are going to be competing in the OFC, my girld have been in training sessions since knowing that were are going to play the OFC champions League. And we are looking forward to play against some of the top tea in the teams in the Oceania,” said Erickson Komeng.
Coach Komeng is expecting a good turn out in support for the team throughout the event which is happening on the 1st – 10th of June at the Sir John Guise Stadium. He said it is a first of its kind in the country. And it will be a fun and exciting event which is good for the team and football in the Oceania region.
The competition will have five teams playing in round robin format. This means that each team will have four games and a Bye in each rounds. The top two teams of the pool will qualify for the finals.
The teams to be participate in the event are; host Hekari United FC, Labasa Women FC from Fiji, Kiwi FC from Samoa, Koloale FC from Australia, and New Caledonia’s AS Academy Feminine.