Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) staff have experienced an ‘eye-opening’ four-day trip visiting some of the best high-performance football environments in Australia.

To launch a new National Academy in 2025, the Fiji FA in partnership with OFC embarked on a study visit to Sydney this week.

The goal is to provide staff with a truly unique opportunity to immerse themselves and gain a better understanding of high-performance and talent development environments.

OFC High-Performance Consultant, Dave Wright, teamed up with Football Federation Australia to lead and facilitate the visit. Utilizing his own experience in top academies to help translate ideas the group would see to adapt them to the Fijian context.

Given the mix of staff from leadership, commercial and technical, the team was provided with a view across all elements of the football business in two high-performance environments at Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers.

The game showcased the professionalism and level required to prepare to perform on the pitch. It also provided great insight into the commercial elements of game day, from sponsorship, fan engagement, community involvement, and the stadium experience.

The experience will come in handy for Fijian FA Head of Talent Development Sunil Kumar, who was grateful for the opportunity to observe the impressive facilities.

“I think it’s so important in the talent development and development of football in our country. Fans are one of the biggest stakeholders and keeping them involved is so important. It’s something we’ll take back to our country so that we can keep the current fans and at the same time, get more fans on board with us in Fiji,” Kumar said.