In the latest development from the Secondary Schools futsal scene, Labasa College coach Roneel Avnith Ram has been appointed Assistant Coach of the Fiji Under-17 Girls National Futsal Team following his school's breakout performance at this year's national finals. The promotion comes as seven players from Labasa College were also named in the initial Under-17 national futsal squad and will attend Youth Olympic trials in Suva ahead of the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal later this year.
Labasa College, making its first foray into national futsal competition, fielded teams across all four grades — Under-17 Girls, Under-19 Girls, Under-17 Boys and Under-19 Boys — and emerged as one of the tournament's surprise packages. The girls’ teams dominated the Northern Division and entered the national finals unbeaten. The Under-17 girls completed an undefeated season, beating MGM High School 4–0 in the semi-final before overcoming defending champions AD Patel College 3–1 in the grand final to claim the national title.
Several individual honours from the tournament went to Labasa players. Vilomena Batirerega was named tournament Best Player, collecting the Golden Ball award, while teammate Kalisi Dama finished as the competition’s top scorer and received the Golden Boot. Their performances helped propel Labasa’s profile nationally and were factors in the selection of seven of the school’s players — Beatrice, Kalisi, Vilomena, Seini, Azharia, Ashlina and Grace — to the initial Fiji Under-17 national futsal squad.
Those seven players are scheduled to travel to Suva for Youth Olympics trials, where national coaches will trim the preliminary squad ahead of preparations for the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal later this year. The trials represent the next step for the young players to secure places on the final roster that will represent Fiji on the international youth stage.
Ram’s appointment as Assistant Coach of the Fiji Under-17 Girls team is being framed as recognition of the systems and discipline he instilled at Labasa College. Ram, who coached all four Labasa sides through a deep tournament run — with every team reaching the semi-finals despite the school’s debut at the national level — said the success was the result of months of sacrifice, discipline and team commitment. He emphasised that the programme sought to teach values beyond trophies, including leadership, resilience and respect.
Labasa’s boys’ sides also impressed during the campaign, with the Under-17s pushing a final to extra time and the Under-19s narrowly losing on penalties, demonstrating depth across the programme. The school’s rapid rise from first-time entrants to national champions and contributors to the national pathway underlines a shifting competitive landscape in Fijian secondary schools futsal and offers momentum for the national Under-17 preparations ahead of the Youth Olympics.