The Marshall Islands is the last country without a national football team but a clutch of enthusiastic Britons are trying to rectify that – and get them into a Fifa World Cup campaign.
Exeter may not seem an obvious nerve centre for a mission to get a tiny Micronesian nation into Fifa, but then this is no ordinary project. The Marshall Islands have a population of less than 40,000, most adults do not play football and there is no 11-a-side league to speak of.
The last UN-recognised country on earth without a national team, they have become an obsession for a handful of volunteers 8,000 miles away in the UK. Their goal? To see the Marshall Islands take part in qualifying for the Fifa men’s and women’s World Cups.
“Obviously we’re probably not going to be qualifying or winning it anytime soon, but just seeing a Marshallese team representing a nation in qualification would be absolutely huge,” Matt Webb, 34, the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation’s Devon-based commercial director, tells City AM.
Webb, who works in marketing, got involved after reading about the MISF’s dream of creating a national team in 2022 and “bombarding” its president, Shem Livai, with emails. Two other Britons are part of the effort, including former FA coach Lloyd Owers.
They have helped the penniless federation generate money through crowdfunding, minor sponsorships and an enterprising merchandise operation that tapped into the niche football shirt market. To date, they say they have raised around £50,000.
The cost of travelling halfway round the world means that Webb has only visited the Marshall Islands once, so much of the work has been done via “3am calls”. The result: football is now played in schools and, last year, the islands hosted a first international futsal tournament.
To achieve Fifa status – and unlock central funding – the Marshall Islands must obtain membership of a regional confederation, with Oceania the most natural option. Despite a good working relationship with OFC, there are no guarantees.
“They don’t put out a playbook in terms of how you get into Fifa,” says Webb. “We submitted an application to them [OFC] in December. We’ve yet to hear anything back, so we’re not feeling too great about that right now, although fingers obviously crossed.”
The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation has got football into schools (Photo: Chewy Lin)
Marshall Islands eye first international match
The MISF has been cautious about playing full internationals prematurely but is this month set to announce its first ever men’s fixtures as part of a mini-tournament with Fifa nations to be held in Springdale, Arkansas – home to a Marshallese diaspora – in August.
“We don’t want to set up an 11-a-side match too soon, get smashed 50-0, and then that is to the detriment of a long-term developmental project. But having seen the players in action, we’re quite confident they could give a good account of themselves,” says Webb.
“We are under no illusions but we think there’s no better way to announce ourselves to the world, and we’re trying to demonstrate what a good member nation we could be for any prospective confederation.”
The MISF has made great strides since Livai set it up in 2020 but it hasn’t been plain sailing, not least because of understandable scepticism towards a clutch of eager Brits that only ebbed away as their commitment and good intentions have become clear.
“We’re trying to be mindful. A lot of it is building trust,” says Webb. “Other people have come to the islands before, maybe not for soccer but for other projects, and there is a natural hesitancy – like, ‘Why are they getting involved? You’re in England, you’re doing this for free, apparently – what’s your ulterior motive?’
“Over time, hopefully we’ve got some credit in the bank, we’re sticking around, and there’s some tangible output as well.”
Long-term, the Marshall Islands need recognition to ensure their teams’ financial future. Selling shirts only goes so far – “You can’t just do a new jersey every year, we’re not Man United” – but they hope to raise awareness through a documentary being made by Hanna-Barbera.
Back in Exeter, Webb admits his friends and family “probably think I’m mental, but I absolutely love it”.
He adds: “When I read the story it sounded like an absolute dream, a sweet spot of all my skills. Making money from this has never been the goal. This is a nice distraction at the end of the day to get stuck into.”
Most adults in the Marshall Islands don’t play football (Photo: Chewy Lin)