The Cook Islands national football side were in poor shape, having finished last in their 2014 World Cup qualifying group. Not noted for their football pedigree, when Sherman arrived in early 2015, the islands were placed second-bottom of the FIFA world rankings, only above newest member Bhutan. The Cooks are a small collection of islands and atolls, spanning 240 kilometres in the Pacific Ocean, and host to a largely Maori population of approximately 14,000 inhabitants. It does cause a certain problem, because if this practice continues, it’s hard to see many potentially professional Cook islanders actually ending up representing their country. Ironically, due to a lack of goalkeepers on the island, Sherman was forced to play a centre-back in goal throughout his tenure. This particular loophole has led to countless prospective Cook internationals opting to represent the All Whites, most notably Carlisle United goalkeeper Max Crocombe, who had been capped by New Zealand by the time of Drew Sherman’s arrival on the islands. The Welshman was surprised to find that many Cook Islanders were playing for New Zealand in their youth setup, as opposed to representing their native island nation: “There are roughly 90,000 Cook Islands-eligible players based outside of the islands, but finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Sherman told These Football Times. “One major issue we also faced was the fact that any eligible Cook Islander due to passport and the countries governance by New Zealand is also eligible for New Zealand.” He later became manager of the Cooks, seeing the World Cup qualifiers as a major opportunity for himself to develop as a coach. A talented footballer in his time, Sherman worked with Southampton’s academyprior to joining Aldershot Town as the youngest academy manager in the Football League. This particular issue struck Drew Sherman, the former coach and manager of the Cook Islands national football team. However, these opportunities are few and far between, and most of Oceania’s football elite find themselves playing in New Zealand. However, the likes of Tahiti and New Caledonia have benefited hugely from support from the French Football Federation, even allowing club sides from both countries to compete in the French National Up. It could be argued that young, Oceanian footballers are being left without a legitimate route into professional football due to the lack of competitive football on the continent, and it may be having a detrimental effect on the game’s progress. Technically, there ought to be a solid league on the continent but, following Australia’s decision to join the Asian Football Confederation, Oceania’s only real footballing output is Wellington Phoenix, the New Zealand side who compete in the A-League. The continent, which plays host to 36 million people, comprises 14 countries, the largest and best recognised being Australia and New Zealand. It’s no secret that football is a dominant part of Oceanian culture, taking into account the popularity of rugby at the same time. In some areas of the globe, football is an incredibly developed and modern sport, played professionally and revered, while in others it’s revered in equal measure but the facilities and opportunities simply aren’t there. One such area is Oceania. However, despite football’s obvious progress over the last century, it seems now that, with the huge advances made in the European leagues – most notably the Premier League – certain countries and continents are gearing away from the others at frightening speed. Comfortably the world’s most dominant sport, football is unparalleled in many ways, its rich history and various landmarks coveted and admired from afar. In an age of continuous footballing progress, it’s fair to say that the game has a hold in most cultures across the world.
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