Latest news with #LloydOwers
CNN
07-05-2025
- Sport
- CNN
This nation is threatened by rising sea levels. It is raising awareness as it sets up its first soccer team
CNN — Between rising sea levels from the climate crisis, a history of nuclear testing causing radioactive pollution and population displacement, the Marshall Islands face numerous threats. Now, the country – made up of 29 atolls and five main islands in the North Pacific – is shining a light on the struggles it faces by turning to an unlikely source: Soccer. The Marshall Islands are seeking to become the last of the 193 United Nations member states to have a recognized international 11-a-side soccer team, with the aim of becoming a member of FIFA – world soccer's governing body – by 2030. To help the cause, the nation's soccer governing body has organized a four-team tournament taking place this summer in Springdale, Arkansas, home to the largest Marshallese community outside of the islands. But perhaps more important than the sporting benefits of the endeavor is the opportunity to raise awareness of the environmental battle the country faces as a result of climate change. To that end, the three British men behind the initiative – Matt Webb, Lloyd Owers and Justin Walley – have also created a new team kit. Designed with the colors of the Marshall Islands flag and emblazoned with images of the islands' flora and fauna, the number 1.5 takes pride of place in the center of the 'No-Home' shirt, a reference to the Paris climate agreement, in which countries agreed to make efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. A quote from Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner is also etched onto the shirt: 'We deserve to thrive.' The message and the unique design were enough to make it a popular release. But it got even more attention when, with each photo post on social media of the new kit, parts of the shirt had disappeared; first a bit of a sleeve, next some from the midriff and then from the collar. The gradual loss of parts of the kit was used as a stark reminder of the creeping danger that rising sea levels present to the Marshall Islands. According to analysis by NASA, sea levels in the Marshall Islands have risen by 10 centimeters (almost 3.94 inches) over the last 30 years and could rise by 19 centimeters (roughly 7.48 inches) over the next 30 years, leading to an increase in flooding with 'worsening severity.' If no measures are taken, the islands are likely to face more than 100 days of flooding yearly by the end of the century. Webb, who works as the head of commercial for the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation, explains that while developing the soccer side was the main priority when they began their work, they are in the 'fortunate position' to be able to bring attention to an issue that perhaps would fall by the wayside. 'There is an obligation to talk about aspects such as climate change, nuclear legacy. We have this kind of duty of care to mention it at least. And we decided to use the shirt as a way to it,' Webb told CNN Sports. 'It's a celebration of a rich culture of the Marshall Islands and, potentially, what could be lost if action isn't taken. We appreciate that climate change can be polarizing to some people and it's maybe not something they want to focus on in sport. But for us, it would be amiss if we didn't kind of reference it at all. And using sport as well, we've got such a huge platform where other outlets might not necessarily be able to touch upon that.' The Marshall Islands are home to around 39,000 people and are on the opposite side of the world to the United Kingdom, where Webb and Owers live. But they stumbled across the country's sporting plight in an article in The Athletic in 2021. The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation was founded in 2020 by President Shem Livai because his son was an avid soccer fan, but there was no structure for kids to play. Webb immediately wanted to be involved. Webb and Owers both have experience in the Beautiful Game prior to this endeavor. Webb's day job is in marketing but he has previously been involved in soccer administration and founding clubs, while Owers has previously worked as a coach and helped in forming coaching programs for teams in the UK and abroad. Webb recalls finding Livai on social media and eventually his email before 'peppering' him with messages offering his services as a volunteer until Livai, as the Brit recounts, 'relented.' Owers was introduced by a mutual connection after which he was appointed technical director and the pair set about revamping the federation. Webb admits that they faced some skepticism from locals in the early months – ''What are you doing? You're saying you're Marshall Islands Soccer Federation, but you're doing this from the UK,'' he remembers being asked – but have since developed relationships and connections to establish their credibility as keen volunteers. While soccer is known as the global game, that is not the case on the Marshall Islands. Given its longstanding connections to the US – the republic is home to the US Army Garrison Kwajalein, which helps in ballistic missile testing and tracking – basketball and volleyball are the most popular sports there. While many of the youngsters on the island may be fans of soccer, Webb explains, the lack of accessibility to adequate facilities and coaching means few play it regularly. Webb and Owers set about using futsal – a scaled-down version of regular soccer played with five players on each team and on smaller pitches – to increase playing time, using the abundance of basketball courts as venues. But, due to the geographic make-up of the islands, space is at a premium when it comes to full-size 11-a-side pitches, which FIFA recommends have the dimensions of 105 meters (almost 344.5 feet) x 68 meters (almost 223.1 feet). 'It's a very low-lying island nation, which is built on top of essentially a coral reef. And when you're there, you can kind of really feel how close you are and how much your islands are related to the oceans,' Webb explains. 'You've got oceans on one side, and it's basically a circular lagoon on the inside as well. So there's points on your island where it's just one road separating the ocean to the lagoon. You feel really exposed at times.' The country did build a stadium for the Micronesian Games last summer, which gives the islands a useable pitch, but it still has no goals even now. They have focused on acquiring equipment, creating opportunities to play and providing coaches for the Marshallese people to get a taste of what the Beautiful Game can bring. While they are hoping that this next generation of soccer-mad youngsters will provide the bedrock for a blossoming Marshall Islands national team, their current crop of players is made up of young adults and expatriates from surrounding islands, such as Solomon Islands, Fiji and Kiribati. With the help of on-island coaches, the British volunteers were able to build a soccer system across the islands. They have seen buy-in across the generations as their reputations have grown. On top of the sporting benefits have been the human impact, which Webb describes as arguably the more 'rewarding' part of what they're doing. On Owers' most recent trip to the Marshall Islands, he led a group from the island of Majuro – the country's capital – to the island of Kwajalein. He was told by one of his players: 'This is the best weekend of my life.' Webb explains: 'We can take it for granted, the ability to move freely between places, but for some of these lads, it's the first time off island or traveling by plane and seeing new things and meeting new people. So there's that kind of personal impact you're having on people's lives.' Both Webb and Owers are unequivocal in their aim of having the Marshall Islands being involved in the qualification process for a FIFA World Cup. But to do that, there are certain criteria they must meet to be able to join a regional confederation. The first step on that journey is the four-team tournament in August in Arkansas, their first 11-a-side matches against other international teams. The 'Outrigger Cup' will see the Marshall Islands face the US Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Guam, all three of which are FIFA member nations. They have started a fundraiser for the tournament, which they see as an opportunity to bring Marshallese people together. 'We want to be in a position to allow every Marshallese person the opportunity to be a part of our project regardless of where they are in the world,' Owers said. 'Uniting everyone in a different place is another opportunity for us to do that. 'I think, as a byproduct of it, hopefully this then propels the project into something where we're in front of those confederations that we've applied for. They've got more awareness of what we're doing, and seeing the journey and the development of where we were, where we've gone, and then where we want to be, and hopefully using this as a bit of a platform to push on from that.' Webb reveals that they also have plans in future editions of the kit to address the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands; the US government conducted 67 nuclear tests there between 1946 and 1958 which 'left communities displaced and contributed to radioactive land and sea pollution,' per the UN. He talks about how much the islanders value community, which too is under threat, as more families emigrate to the US to avoid the impacts of climate change. But Webb believes soccer can help bring the Marshallese together. 'We want to unite people through a medium of sport, and hopefully raise awareness to those issues that people face on daily basis. If we can have any small part in helping that, then we will.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Dreams come true' for nation with no football team
A fundraiser has been set-up to help a nation's "dreams come true" by playing their first ever international football match. The Marshall Islands are the self-proclaimed "last country on Earth without a football team" but Lloyd Owers, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, is hoping to change that. He is the technical director of the Marshall Island Soccer Federation which is organising an international tournament to be held in Arkansas in the US, in August. "It's an honour to be part of it," said Mr Owers, who started the job in 2023, adding it was a first step towards the team joining FIFA and competing in World Cup qualifying matches. "We have massive ambitions," he told BBC Radio Oxfordshire. "We want to be part of something big. "We didn't want to take the easy option of playing local, regional countries. We wanted to test ourselves and put ourselves on the map." The Marshall Islands is a chain of volcanic islands and coral-based atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with a population of about 40,000 people. Its football federation is planning to stage a four-team tournament at John Brown University, against established FIFA nations; Turks & Caicos, the US Virgin Islands and Guam. Mr Owers said the reason the event would be held 6,200 miles (10,000km) from their homeland is because Arkansas is home to the largest community of Marshallese, outside of the Marshall Islands. When Mr Owers started the job in 2023 he said the main island of Majuro "had nothing - no football infrastructure whatsoever". He said he applied for the role because "the opportunity to be part of something massive was incredible in itself". "The place, in terms of the location, was obviously a draw as well," he admitted. "Over the last two years we've managed to go from strength to strength, now leading to what we've announced this week in terms of our first international fixtures. "So, yeah, exciting news." The federation is hoping to raise £20,000 to help pay for kit, equipment and accommodation for the visiting teams. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. The 'last country' on Earth without a national football team Creating a national side 'like starting pub team' Marshall Islands Soccer Federation
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Marshall Islands plan first international football fixtures
A fundraiser has been set-up to help a nation's "dreams come true" by playing their first ever international football Marshall Islands are the self-proclaimed "last country on Earth without a football team" but Lloyd Owers, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, is hoping to change is the technical director of the Marshall Island Soccer Federation which is organising an international tournament to be held in Arkansas in the US, in August."It's an honour to be part of it," said Mr Owers, who started the job in 2023, adding it was a first step towards the team joining FIFA and competing in World Cup qualifying matches. "We have massive ambitions," he told BBC Radio Oxfordshire."We want to be part of something big. "We didn't want to take the easy option of playing local, regional countries. We wanted to test ourselves and put ourselves on the map."The Marshall Islands is a chain of volcanic islands and coral-based atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with a population of about 40,000 football federation is planning to stage a four-team tournament at John Brown University, against established FIFA nations; Turks & Caicos, the US Virgin Islands and Owers said the reason the event would be held 6,200 miles (10,000km) from their homeland is because Arkansas is home to the largest community of Marshallese, outside of the Marshall Islands. When Mr Owers started the job in 2023 he said the main island of Majuro "had nothing - no football infrastructure whatsoever".He said he applied for the role because "the opportunity to be part of something massive was incredible in itself"."The place, in terms of the location, was obviously a draw as well," he admitted. "Over the last two years we've managed to go from strength to strength, now leading to what we've announced this week in terms of our first international fixtures. "So, yeah, exciting news." The federation is hoping to raise £20,000 to help pay for kit, equipment and accommodation for the visiting teams. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
New York Times
19-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Marshall Islands to play their first 11-a-side international match in Arkansas
The Marshall Islands, the last country in the world without a football team, are set to play their first 11-a-side fixtures. The Pacific Island nation, which boasts fewer than 40,000 inhabitants, will take on neighbours the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Guam in a mini-tournament, Outrigger Cup, this August. Advertisement However, the matches will take place 10,000km (6,200 miles) away from the islands in Springvale, Arkansas — home to the largest Marshallese population outside of the nation itself. The national squad will include players of Marshallese descent who grew up in the United States and Europe, who may have played football at college level, as well as players of American descent who grew up in the Marshall Islands themselves. Though there are other countries which have not played a FIFA-accredited fixture, the Marshall Islands are the final nation to have never played an 11-a-side match at all. The Marshall Islands' football leadership, a mix of British and Marshallese coaches and volunteers, believe this will help achieve their ultimate aim of recognition from FIFA and the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation). 'We don't want to play lower risk games,' says Lloyd Owers, the technical director of the Marshall Islands, who was originally inspired to help join the coaching staff after reading a profile of the team in The Athletic in 2021. 'We want to play against opponents where we will be tested, the best we can play against at the time. They are FIFA-accredited opponents. Though we're not a member, it's all part of what we want to be doing and achieving in terms of recognition. 'Playing our first 11-a-side game is unbelievable from where we started from, it was just a pipedream. But we've created a lot of pathways and structures for kids to be playing and adults to be coaching. This is the pinnacle of where we want to be before we reach our goal of confederation membership. We want the opportunity to play 11 vs 11, to represent the country, and to be the first group of people to do that.' Historically, football has not been played in the Marshall Islands due to a lack of pitch space, coaching expertise, and wider interest, with the nation far more in the United States' sporting orbit. Basketball is the most popular sport. Advertisement Another challenge is climate change, with the nation an average of just two metres above sea-level. The team aims to use football to draw awareness to the islands' plight, releasing an away kit with missing segments to highlight the risk that the country could be wiped out by rising sea levels before they play their first competitive fixture. Without FIFA accreditation and funding, the Marshall Islands will spend the next five months fundraising to fulfill the matches, allowing local players from the islands to fly over for the game.
