MARSHALL ISLANDS' MISSION

STEVEN KENNEDY REPORTS ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN COUNTRY'S BID TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES ON THE WORLD FOOTBALL MAP...

- STEVEN KENNEDY

FOOTBALL is undergoing a transformative journey. With the surge in popularity of the women's game and the shifting power dynamics emanating from the Middle East, there is the sense that football is now more globally encompassing and inclusive than it has ever been before.

However, despite the sport's extensive reach across the world, there exists a solitary nation untouched by football's presence.

Nestled in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and the Philippines, lies the only remaining country without a national football team: The Marshall Islands.

These paradisical and sprawling chains of volcanic islands and coral atolls stand as the lone member among the United Nations' 193 states that has yet to embrace football.

And while FIFA represent the interests of 211 men's national football teams with a further 11 non-FIFA members being part of one of FIFA's affiliated continental confederations, the Marshall Islands remains conspicuously devoid of a national team, a structured national league, and even a home stadium.

However, the prospect of change is glimmering on the horizon, thanks to the endeavours of the nascent Marshall Islands Soccer Federation (MISF) - established in 2020 carrying the baton of a nation's dream of one day becoming full FIFA members in their own right.

"There are a lot of hurdles we have to overcome before we can become a full FIFA member," explains 34-year-old Lloyd Owers, the English technical director of the MISF. "The first is confederation membership which at this stage looks like AFC (Asian Football Confederation).