NMIFA hosts VIPs at Fiesta

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands welcomed dignitaries from throughout the Pacific region over the past couple of days as Saipan, Tinian, and Rota ushered in the new face of government with yesterday’s inauguration.

But they weren’t the only VIPs in the CNMI over the weekend as members of the international soccer community paid a visit to the leaders of the Northern Mariana Islands Football (Soccer) Association at the Fiesta Resort and Spa.

The general secretary of the East Asian Football Federation, Takeo Okada, was one of the eight-member international panel that met with and mentored the NMITF board members over the course of the past few days.

The vice president of the Football Association of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Jilong, deputy general secretary of the Football Association of the People’s Republic of China, Zhao Jinfu, president of the Guam Football Association, Richard Lai, and brother George Lai, director general of the Korea Football Association, Seung Hwan Ko, general secretary of the Associacao de Futebolde Macau, Alexandre Rego, and former secretary general of the Chinese Taipei Football Association, Chang Chan-Wei, also met with newly elected Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez on Sunday to kick off their mission of soccer.

NMIFA president Jerry Tan, vice president David Khorram, treasurer Vickie Izuka, general secretary Peter Coleman, and directors Susanne Knecht, Perry Tenorio, and Lynn Tenorio listened intently as the foreign footballers shared their experiences and offered their assistance along the way.

While each member of the delegation offered advice on a variety of subjects, they stressed the importance of spreading the sport, and the benefits of doing so. While the local program is still in its infancy, the panel members advised NMIFA to try and gain membership by going to the athletic directors of both the public and private school systems.

They also stressed the ease of spreading the sports appeal because soccer’s relatively inexpensive nature compared to traditional sports like baseball.

“All you need is a ball and a pair of tennis shoes,” they said.

The representatives from the GFA told the tale of their success in the southernmost link in the Marianas chain. In the past five years, the GFA saw its membership skyrocket from 500 players to more than 2,000.

The NMIFA board each took turns expressing their disbelief of the presence of the high-ranking officials, as well as their thanks for the guidance. While the NMIFA board members have done more in the past eight months than casually cheer from the sidelines, Lai said that they will have to take more responsibility and work harder for the local league to take off.

“You’re not just a soccer mom or dad anymore, you’re creating history. You have to run it as a business. You have to know your short-term goals and your long-term goals,” he said.

The group of dignitaries had more on their plate than just the initial day’s meeting, as they already were treated to an island tour and bared witness to yesterday’s inauguration.

Today the delegation will take a tour of Saipan’s facilities at the American Memorial Park and view NMIFA’s equipment before departing for home—where they pledged to support Saipan’s soccer crop in any way they can.