Photos: Solomon Choi in Hobart last week
South Korean businessman Solomon Choi is bringing two junior football teams to Tasmania late next month to play local sides for the Tasko Cup.
Thirty South Korean youngsters in the under-12 age group will be in the touring party.
Choi, who farms on the North-West Coast and exports breeding cattle to Korea, is keen to develop sporting and business links between Tasmania and South Korea.
His family lives in Sydney, but he spends much of his time on the farm in Tasmania because he has fallen in love with the island.
The organisers of the trip also include the Korean Youth Football Association and the Tasko International Football Training School, formed by Mr Choi and whose director is former Korean international player Jin Hyo Seok.
“My aim is to exchange each country’s sports culture and boost the interest in junior soccer matches through frequent competitions,” said Choi, who was in Hobart last week.
“If the matches between Tasmanian and Korean youth teams are successful, then yearly matches will be held.
“We would like to see a Tasmanian team visit Korea in October for the International Youth Soccer Competition.”
At this stage, the Koreans are due to leave Korea on 18 August and arrive in Launceston the next day and they will be in Tasmania until 24 August.
Hotel accommodation is being arranged in Hobart, while they will stay at a camp at Port Sorell during their time in the north.
Apart from playing up to six games during their stay, the youngsters will be engaged in sightseeing and cultural activities, including school visits.
If Tasmania does send a team to the international tournament in Korea from 2-7 October, it will compete against teams from Japan, Germany, Spain, China and Korea.
Choi initially approached Football Federation Tasmania about the visit, but due to glitches in the lines of communication, nothing eventuated so he made contact with Ken Morton and teams from the Morton Soccer School will now play against the visitors in Hobart.
Morton and Brian Downes have arranged matches for the visitors in the north of the State.
I guess it is an opportunity missed by FFT, but perhaps they could be involved in some capacity at an official level as it is hoped to have welcoming ceremonies in Launceston and Hobart involving government and civic leaders.
4 comments:
Fantastic News.
Congratulations to Morton Soccer Schools for once again offering what FFT can't?
Well done and I wish all the best.
A shame there has been a communication problem. It would have been productive for the three regional teams in the south, Central, Eastern Region and Northern Suburbs, to have played their under 12 teams against the Korean side.
There could have been a useful opportunity for the rep teams and their coaches to learn about the training methods used by the visiting teams. Whichever way a TIS girls team who went to China recently looked, the Chinese teams were technically superior.
Walter. Who is to blame in this. We keep hearing that FFT have not done this or FFT have not done that but who at FFT is not doing what they are supposed to be doing. Do we look at the Board? Not many people in Tassie Footy would even have a clue who is on the board. The people that work in the FFT office get a lot of the blame for things that, I beleive, should be sorted out from further up the chain of command. We have competiton changes each year, made by the board, which stuff everyone around. We have Development squads that have different set ups each year that stuff them around, Made by the board. The Football Show was axed this year as the board didn't want to fund it as they didn't really see a need for it. This whole TIS/Uni thing was driven by the board.
From where I see it Walter we need to be putting more presure on the people that are running FFT to be more accountable for their actions or lack off and not so much blame on the people that work out at KGV House.
I could be wrong in all of this and the Board may be doing a great job but I doubt it. You only ever see them @ Vic Tuting time as they come out to get their free meal & free drinks all night. I think the FFT President needs to take a look at the whole thing & decide if he and the rest of the board are doing the job that they would expect others to do and see if they are really doing a good enough job to keep this State moving forward in a Football sense. Just my thoughts
R U Serious Ref
I am sure those VOLUNTEER, UNPAID, Board members will be wrapped with your interpretation of happenings, and your high regard for them.
The majority of items you mention fall squarely in the province of the CEO. It is the CEO who takes things to the board for ratification.
For example - the development setups changed because the current CEO would not insist that the state coaches adhered to the plan that was put in place by David Abela, but rather let them pretty much do as they liked.
The axing of the Football Show was a cost saving excercise by the Board - but again the CEO did not push the issue. (possibly fair enough given the financial result of the previous season).
The TIS/UNI thing was not driven by the Board - but rather the CEO not understanding the degree of opposition likely nor the TIS agenda.
The role of the Board is obviously something you do not understand. I suggest you research what it is meant to be -- and then remember that none of the Board are paid for the hours they spend away from their jobs/businesses/family in their genuine attempt to assist FFT move forward. In comparison to Boards of yesteryear they do very well in a much more difficult world.
I dont agree with some of their decisions - The Football Show in particular. BUT they have been voted into those roles by the members and so it is their decisions that THE MEMBERS are responsible for.
Every year the MEMBERS have a chance to change the Board. YEt rarely do they even think about it, let alone actually do anything about it.
The MEMBERS should have insisted upon resignations over the 100,000 loss in 2008 but a signifigant number of MEMBERS did not even attend the AGM even though they knew that was the financial result for the past 12 months.
Dont go complaining about the Board if the MEMBERS cannot even be bothered to attend the very meetings that allow the Board to be held accountable.
The CEO (past and present) is given a large degree of freedom to act and respond as he thinks fit.
Open blogs are not the place to air your perception in such terms -- take it to your club and see if they will agree with you and if they will agree to take up those matters - they are given a number of opportunities during the season to do so.
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