NMIFA bids coach Michiteru Mita sayonara

The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association bid national team head coach/technical director Michiteru Mita goodbye in a surprise farewell luncheon last Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

Mita’s tenure was almost seven years from his arrival to the NMI on Feb. 19, 2017 and has led NMIFA to many successes and milestones. He’s leaving today, Jan. 29, 2024, for Myanmar to coach the U15 and U17 boys national team and become the youth director.

A video of Mita’s successes was shown, with such successes such as: he created a comprehensive guide for NMIFA member clubs, outlining the progression of youth players from U6 and U18 divisions; established a systematic approach to monitor and evaluate the ongoing development of youth players; documented and developed NMIFA grassroots program, seeking official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation to qualify for technical and financial support; created a pathway for training and certification of local coaches; implemented a program offering financial incentives and technical support; significantly contributed to the enhancement of NMI national teams; and successfully collaborated with Japan Football Association, securing technical and financial support for training camps in Japan, among many others.

After, a video message was shown, with messages from Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, former NMIFA technical director and national team head coach; Kohtaro Goto, Dev Bachani, Jerald Aquino, and Merrick Toves, off-island national team players; Norman Del Rosario, former NMIFA executive committee member; Catherine Attao-Toves, NMIFA executive committee member; coach Jimmy Tang, NMI women’s team assistant coach; and Luam Khen Kho, NMI women’s national team coach.

NMIFA’s football clubs—Kanoa FC, Matansa FC, MP United, Latte FC, Shirley’s FC, Piare FC—along with the boy’s/men’s and girl’s/women’s national teams, and NMIFA executive committee and board members were in attendance at the luncheon.

The luncheon gave the clubs in attendance a chance to say their well wishes and parting gifts such as jerseys, gift baskets, among others.

NMIFA president Jerry Tan attributed the FA’s success to Mita and said that he was a “game-changer.”

Tan said the NMIFA facility in Koblerville was one contribution to NMIFA’s success, but that Mita was the “biggest game-changer. When you build a facility, it takes money. If you don’t have money, you can borrow, just like business. But when it comes to the program, when it comes to coaching, when it comes to really impacting not just the national team but also to the community—that one is not something you can buy with money. Even if AFC gives us a million dollars, we cannot say ‘Oh, in the next three years, we’re going to improve,’ Money doesn’t translate into success. It is the program. It is an individual like coach Mita. He put his heart into our community into our boys and girls from Day 1 and every day.”

Mita, at the end of the well wishes and gifts, gave an emotional speech in which he said he was the “luckiest person in the world.” He said, “It was an incredible journey together with you guys. In these seven years, we have achieved many things because of you guys. I learned so much from you and I was just very lucky these past seven years. I have worked with many other member associations in other countries, but I can say NMIFA is the best member association.”

He then thanked everyone and said, “NMI is always in my heart. Someday, I want to come back here as a coach again. Thank you Jerry, for your leadership. I learned a lot from you. I’ve never seen a president who’s so passionate. You guys are so lucky.”

At the end of the luncheon, Mita was asked how he felt about the surprise party and said he had no idea about it. “It was a big surprise. I didn’t know. I thought we were just going to have lunch.” When asked what his favorite memory is, he said, “Everything. They’re all good memories.”