The Suva FC players have gone out of their way to win over the local community in Luganville at the OFC Champions League.
Maxwell Thaggard’s side have attended several off-field events in the area over the past few days and were hosted by the Solway Community group just outside Luganville on Thursday.
The entire squad met with families and enjoyed local cuisine before playing football with the children.
Community leader Chief Tasso Morsen welcomed the Suva delegation while Luganville’s Mayor Peter Patty urged the team to become a sister side of the town’s local side Malampa which plays in the Vanuatu league.
Suva FC coach Maxwell Thaggard highlighted the importance of these types of visits.
“It’s very important to take football out to a small community like this. They are very welcoming and for them to see superstars, it’s something for them to aspire to when they grow up.” Thaggard said.
While the Suva FC players have a firm focus on tomorrow’s match against the Solomon Warriors with a place in the semi-finals of the OFC Champions League on the line, meeting the families of the Solway Community and embracing the local culture has been a welcome change from the demands of match preparation.
Later in the evening the team was hosted for dinner by the local Fijian Community which numbers about 20 families in the area.