Fiji’s national women’s team coach Marika Rodu is looking forward to seeing the Digicel Women’s Super League get underway.
Six teams will contest the new competition that will be played in a home and away basis format.
Three matches will be played as doubleheaders before the Digicel Premier League this weekend.
On Saturday, Labasa and Ba will open the competition before two matches are set to take place on Sunday, including Nadroga v Suva at Lawaqa Park and Tailevu Naitasiri v Rewa at ANZ Stadium.
“The whole idea is to take a step up from our previous competition format and to have all the elite teams competing among themselves to bring more competition within women’s football,” Rodu said.
Rodu, says as teams will be travelling week in week out, players’ physical and mental endurance will be tested.
“Ba travels to Labasa this weekend, Suva travels to Nadroga this weekend so how the coaches prepare the teams psychologically to be able to travel and also go and play at the same time on the same day is going to be a challenge”.
“It’s a platform for the players, the women and the girls that have newly joined to look up to and strive to participate in that competition”.
The coach said he wanted his players to work on their consistency during the competition as they look forward to having the opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
The start of this league has also come at an exciting time for women’s football in Fiji following the news that Trina Davis has become the first Fijian to sign a professional contract after she linked with Israel’s ASA Tel Aviv during the week.
Davis is based in the US but qualified to represent Fiji through her mother and Rodu said her journey would provide inspiration for others.
“That means encouragement to the girls here locally to be able to continue to a level where they can get into a pro contract.”
