2017 OFC U-16 Women’s Championship

After finishing bottom of their group in their debut last year, a fresh-faced Samoa team has rallied all the experience they can for this year’s campaign with hopes to improve on home soil.

Argentinian FFA B Licence coach Guillermo Schiltenwolf has been appointed to guide the squad from the sideline, and some key recruits have recently joined the camp in Samoa as they prepare for redemption.

In 2016, a hugely successful U-17 women’s tournament was hosted in Cook Islands featuring nine nations of which Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, made their debuts at this age-group. For Fiji it was an historic outing after they finished third, narrowly beating New Caledonia in the match for third place.

This year will mark the debut of American Samoa, who have never participated in this competition, and the return to this level for Solomon Islands whose last outing was in 2010 when they finished a very respectable second.