Australia's Futsalroos will return to the international stage for the first time in an action-packed 2024, travelling to the Solomon Islands for a three-match series from February 21-25.
Building on the success of the Solomon Islands' 2023 tour of Australia, the 2024 edition of the PacificAus Sports Futsal Series will see Miles Downie's squad become the first visiting side to take on the Solomon Islands' Kurukurus at Honiara's newly constructed Friendship Hall.
The purpose-built indoor sports venue will host all three matches, which will kick off at 6:00pm local time on Wednesday, February 21, Friday, February 23, and Sunday, February 25.
The result of a partnership with the Australian Government through its PacificAus Sports program, the series will provide the Futsalroos with high-quality hit-outs ahead of April's AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand 2024™, where they will compete for one of four available places at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said of the series: "I'm thrilled that Football Australia has another opportunity to partner with the Solomon Islands Football Federation, with our Futsalroos travelling to the Solomon Islands to take part in the second edition of the PacificAus Sports Futsal Series.
"Having welcomed Kurukuru to Australia in June 2023, we're pleased to be travelling over so shortly after the Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games, and as part of a year-long calendar of football events they're hosting. This is a great opportunity for several matches against quality international opposition.
"Activity of this type, which is made possible through our organisation's longstanding partnership with the Australian Government and the PacificAus Sports program, demonstrates the capacity of our game to support Australia's relationships with countries in any region of the world," concluded Johnson.
Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP said: "Australia and the Solomon Islands have a close and enduring friendship and a shared passion for sport. The Australian Government is proud to partner with Football Australia to support the Futsalroos to take part in this three-match series.
"The PacificAus Sports program creates new opportunities for Pacific athletes to play, grow and train together, and brings our countries closer together through sport," Conroy concluded.
The 2024 edition of the PacificAus Sports Futsal series continues Football Australia's proud history of partnership with Pacific nations. With the support of PacificAus Sports, Australian national teams have either hosted or visited the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Tonga for international matches since 2019.
Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Leonard Paia said: "We are very excited to host this historical tour of the mighty Futsalroos here in Honiara.
"As a mad futsal nation in the Pacific region, it is highly anticipated that the 2024 edition of the PacificAus Sports International Futsal series will give futsal fans in and around the country a taste of world-class futsal brilliance from the Futsalroos against our young development Kurukuru team," concluded Paia.
The Futsalroos' visit to Honiara follows a highly competitive 2023 series against the Kurukuru, who qualified for four successive FIFA Futsal World Cups from 2008 to 2021. Australia registered narrow 3-2 and 5-3 victories in the final two matches after the 2023 series opener ended in a spirited 1-1 draw.
The series will be live streamed via the SIFF Facebook page and public tickets will be available at the SIFF Academy Office from next Monday 12th
