LAST WEEKS weather was perfect for Provincial Super League football in Vanuatu’s farthest province – TORBA. Six teams from the leagues of Sola, Motalava, and Mota challenged each other for the top spot.
Watched by fans from the different islands of TORBA province the participating teams committed themselves to the games at hand, tirelessly pushing the ball forward and determined to place it where it should be – inside the opponent’s goal mouth.
Two teams with the most wins, or most goals, would represent the province in the Super League which will happen in Sola later this year.
Among the match officials was a newcomer in the TORBA football community, her name is Delvin Grace and she is a Year 12 student at Arep Junior Secondary School.
A few minutes after officiating in her first match in Super League football she was asked if it was her first match to officiate, she responded with confidence saying that this was not her first time as a match official, “I had officiated in previous matches this year including in school games” she added.
“I attended a referee training course in Sola before I was certified to officiate in football matches as an Assistant Referee” she explains, and with that she raced to the football field to officiate in her second match of the day.
The Mama Law of Vanuatu encourages initiative individuals like Delvin, and it promotes the idea of being a proactive citizen, and to do that you have to make use of opportunities to up-skill yourself, the Mama Law states that;
“to recognize that he (/she) can fully develop his (/her) abilities and advance his (/her) true interests only by active participation in the development of the national community.”
Transparency International Vanuatu, through its Civic Education Program, advocates on these matters on topics surrounding the Mama Law and how it relates to everyday life and personal perseverance.
Delvin is said to be the first female from TORBA province to be actively involved in football as a match official.
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