From Fiji Times Online (20 October 2017)

Rotuma Sports Council targets youths

By Paulini Ratulailai

THE Rotuman Sports Council is using sports to connect with their youths.

President Paul Moeva said the main objective of having the games was to gather their youths and get to know each other using sports to communicate and get in touch," he said.

"Fiji is a big place and we have Rotumans everywhere and we barely know each other so this is the time that we come together and introduce each other and play competitive sports which consist of volleyball, netball and rugby 15s and touch rugby.

"We have three clubs here in Suva. They are Ra'asea, Satarua and Sarafui, we also have our brothers and sisters from the west, the Moiro club from Lautoka and Granville, a club from Nadi.

"Unfortunately Tieri club from Vatukoula couldn't make it to the games this year.

"Our plan is to have some of our talents be identified and taken up to provincial competition and hopefully make it to the national competition."

Moeva said with players such as Fiji Airways Flying Fijians prop Lee Roy Atalifo and national volleyball rep Hanisoko Moeva as examples, they believed they had talented players who could make the Fiji teams.

"They were some of the talents that came through this Rotuman Games so we're scouting and trying to develop our young players to make it big in any sport.

"One of the challenges that we face is finance and we depend only on the affiliation fees that clubs pay to run our tournament.

"Past two years we had approached Vodafone and they helped us and this year we couldn't get them on board. We're calling on all Rotuman youths out there to come down this Saturday and join any club that they love to play for and be part of this wonderful occasion."