Marshall Islands crowdfunding for first ever football international matches
The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation is crowdfunding a bid to hold the country’s first ever 11-a-side international fixtures this summer.
The tiny Micronesian territory is the last UN-recognised country on earth without a national team but – with the help of some British volunteers – is seeking Fifa recognition.
To aid that ambition, the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation has announced it will host a four-team mini-tournament in the US in August.
The Outrigger Challenge Cup in Springdale, Arkansas, will also involve Guam, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands – all Fifa members.
The MISF hopes to raise £20,000 to cover the costs of staging the matches in a city with the largest Marshallese population outside of the islands themselves.
It has launched a Kickstarter and is offering donors the chance to receive matchworn shirts, access to a live stream of the games and even join the team’s backroom staff.
Marshall Islands ready for international debut
The MISF is only five years old but has grown with help from three British volunteers, Matt Webb, Lloyd Owers and Justin Walley.
They hosted an international futsal tournament last year and believe they are now ready to take the next step in their quest for Fifa membership.
“We don’t want to set up an 11-a-side match too soon, get smashed 50-0, and then that is to the detriment of a long-term developmental project. But having seen the players in action, we’re quite confident they could give a good account of themselves,” Webb told City PM.
“We are under no illusions but we think there’s no better way to announce ourselves to the world, and we’re trying to demonstrate what a good member nation we could be for any prospective confederation.”
The Outrigger Challenge Cup will take place from 11 to 17 August. More details of the Kickstarter can be found here.