Fiji’s rising footballers train with Auckland FC

Three of Fiji’s emerging football talents are experiencing professional-level training with A-League club Auckland FC under the OFC Player Placement Programme 2026.

Maikah Dau, Ryan Naresh and Sterling Vasconcellos have completed their first training session with the Auckland-based club and are now undertaking the programme’s second phase.

They are accompanied by Fiji national assistant coach Marika Rodu, whose involvement also allows him to observe professional coaching methods and player-development systems that could benefit Fiji’s national programmes.

Fresh from competing in the FMF Battle of the Giants tournament, the players are gaining first-hand experience of the intensity, discipline and demands of professional football.

The Fiji Football Association says the placement is designed to sharpen their technical skills, strengthen their tactical understanding and expose them to high-performance training standards.

The OFC programme aims to strengthen development pathways for talented Pacific footballers and create more opportunities for those aspiring to professional careers.