I’ve covered the OFC Nations Cup in person in Vanuatu for the first time. Let me tell you a litte bit about it.
As the plane touched down in Port Vila, a good two days after I’d started my journey from Europe, I couldn’t help but smile.
I’d finally made it.
After covering football in Oceania through my website, aptly named Football in Oceania, since 2016 – first from my university room in England, then my home country of Norway – this was my first time actually on the ground for a tournament, or for any reason, in the region.
Air Vanuatu’s bankruptcy had made getting down here a little more painful than expected, but I had finally arrived, a day before the first match. Sadly New Caledonia’s withdrawal meant that I’d get three fewer group stage matches on my trip, but it didn’t dampen my spirit.
It didn’t take me long to learn how the bus system in town worked (just stick out your hand when a car with a “B” on the license plate drives by and tell him where you want to go), and with that I set off for the Freshwater Stadium in solid time before the first match between hosts Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
The media room in the stadium was nice and air conditioned, with the table for the journalists, of which there was the OFC representatives, some local journos and myself, having been put together the day before, I was told.
Out in the stands there was no designated media area, but I was content at sitting with the laptop in my lap. The view was partially blocked by two rather large steel beams, giving the stadium a feel that this perhaps wasn’t designed with the spectator in mind.
Before kickoff I ended up being invited into the commentator’s box and would cover all the matches from there, with a better view (and air-condition).
I assume most of you know how the opening match, and the rest of the tournament went, so I won’t bore you with details from that.
What I can say is that the home crowd was a fascinating sight and always cheered their team on when they got into the opposition half, no matter the scoreline. The stadium was packed, possibly well over the six or seven thousand official capacity the stadium has, and people were sitting on roofs of nearby buildings and standing in trees to get a glimpse of the match, showing just how football mad Vanuatu is.
I’d been told that before I got down here, but it’s something else to experience it.
Everyone I spoke to, from taxi drivers to hotel staff and random strangers on the street, were all interested in the tournament, and of course hoping their country would win it all.
Getting around to the teams training to get interviews with players was an adventure in itself. The best pitch, as deemed by the teams, was near a French speaking school in the Montmartre-area, a 20 or so minute drive from downtown Port Vila.
When you got to the school, you then had to turn left up what can only be described as a “that guy has driven the wrong way because he followed his GPS and is not supposed to be on this path”-trail.
You know the one; dirt trail, full of holes and bumps. But that was the right way, and in between someone’s house, a couple of chickens and a sizeable cemetery, was the football pitch, surrounded by a forest.
I was told the New Zealand team had shot some balls into the woods on their first training there, and when the staff had gone to collect it, they had seen some pretty sizeable spiders. The spiders of Vanuatu could get “as big as cats”, I was told.
Now, I don’t know if I believe the spiders in the woods were that big, but when I was there for what was their second training, they did their shooting practice towards the parked cars they had arrived in.
My two weeks in Port Vila flew by, with matches and trainings to cover, as well as interviewing OFC President Lambert Maltock (keep your eyes peeled on Football in Oceania for that interview in the near future).
There was also time for some sightseeing and golfing at the local golf club.
Pro tip: If you ever go to Vanuatu, you have to go for a dip in the Blue Lagoon, roughly 45 minutes outside of Vanuatu. It’s also worth renting a car and just going for a drive around the entire island (takes about 3 hours depending on the quality of the road (potholes!) and how much you stop).
After the final whistle blew on Sunday, and New Zealand could hoist the trophy, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad as I knew my time in Vanuatu was coming to an end.
I’d gotten great help from the OFC staff on the ground (big shoutout to media officer Coen Lammers who helped with absolutely everything and joined me on some trips on the off days), I’d connected with players and coaches and I’d put faces to people I’d only previously spoken to via email.
As I write this, I’m back in Norway (it’s raining here) and I already miss the humid heat and the friendly people of Vanuatu.
And I do know one thing for sure: this wasn’t the last OFC tournament I’ll cover on the ground!
Enter the text or HTML code here
About Author
