BY MIKE TUA
IT is not every day that female footballers get to live out their dreams. But as for the 32-year-old, Solomon Island Football Development Officer (SIFF), Diane Justus from Guadalcanal and Malaita, her engagement with soccer began at a very young age.
“My biggest dream as a female footballer was to play in an international tournament like the FIFA Women’s World Cup against other famous football nations but in my playing career as a national player, it was not possible,” she told Solomon Women.
“During my playing days, I noticed that not many women are involved in coaching the game,” she recalled.
The former midfielder of the women’s national team said her interest in football is not only in playing the sport but also in coaching the game.
“Before taking up the job as a football development officer, I already developed my interest in football and due to that interest I do not only learn about playing but I also want to pursue a career in coaching soccer.
“The idea to take up the post was also to engage in football activities even if I retire from playing football because I believe if I pursue a career outside of football my chances are low to engage in football activities,” Justus added.
She said during my early days in soccer, I had to sacrifice myself as a female footballer that one day I hope to represent my country in any regional and international football competition.
Diane has made three international appearances for the Solomon Islands national football team as a footballer before retiring from the game five years ago.
She also became a prominent football figure in both Kossa Football Club (FC) and Naha Football Club (FC).
“In my playing days, I engaged with Kossa Women’s FC (1999 to 2000) and Naha women’s FC (2001-2005).
“Later from 2006-2009, I took up a coaching role as the head coach of Kossa Women FC; my experience as a coach for the club gave me to utilize my knowledge and practical skills to coach because my initial intention was to become a regular coach in the future,” says the development officer.
She said during her time as a former national player, she also traveled to other countries in Oceania to compete in some of the prestigious football tournaments in the region.
“I joined the country’s first-ever senior women’s national under-18 team in 2000 to compete in the friendship cup in Vanuatu, SI senior women’s national team in the 2007 Nations cup in Lae, PNG, and 2007 South Pacific Games in Samoa.
“But I am still not satisfied; I still feel I can go further than what I have achieved as a female national footballer and later in 2007, I was appointed as an assistant coach of the women’s national under-17 team under the supervision of the head coach Luke Eroi.
“I believe with that appoint, I was able to implement my technical and tactical coaching knowledge and skill under the leadership of the head coach.”
Diane holds an Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) C- License instructor certificate in coaching.
“I guess through my coaching development training here, I soon began to understand that you can become somebody outside of Oceania because as part of a coaching career you are not only restricted to Oceania but you can still achieve a high level of coaching elsewhere in the world.
“As part of my coaching career, in 2010, I was appointed by FIFA to join a technical study group. The technical group aimed to analyze matches during a first inaugural FIFA organized Youth Olympics for under-15 boys and girls held in Singapore,” she said.
SIFF Women’s Development Officer
Diane has taken up her appointment as Solomon Islands Football Federation Women Development Officer from 2006 to 2015.
She recalled that to take up the post was never her intention at the first place.
“It was never my personal intention to apply for that technical post but because there was a need for someone to take up the post at that time, it prompted me to apply for that position.
“I was at the highest peak of my football career when the vacancy post for SIFF Women Development Officer was advertised in the local paper in 2006.”
The 32-year-old said since I am a female footballer at that time, my parents never supported or encouraged me to play soccer or venture into that particular code of football.
“I believe the advertised vacancy at that time was an opportunity to work and play football.
“There were not many women applying for that post but I was encouraged by other coaches at that time to give it a try, however, there were many applicants who have applied but I eventually succeeded to undertake that job responsibility.
“After all being in this job has allowed me to be part of the football family and development of football in the country. Therefore, I would say that my main drive to take up the job was through my big interest and passion in football,” she said.
She is currently doing her foundation studies at the University of South Pacific, Honiara Campus, and hopes to study Computer Science soon.
Experiences in the Job
She said her seven years of experience in the technical department demands a lot of very important things to get her this far.
“I learn to develop lots of technical knowledge and administrative skills in my career on and off the field as a women development officer.
“My work demands patients because not everything we want to achieve can be accomplished in a short considerable period.
“Self-confidence is also one of the important skills because if you are not confident about yourself, you would not be able to make good and right decisions.
She said developing the right communication skills and respect is vital in establishing and maintaining good and cordial relationships among people of different social backgrounds.
“Being able to respect yourself as a person and to communicate well with your colleagues through intellectual knowledge and expertise sharing is one way to earn respect from your colleagues.
“And to be able to help and give what others needed the most is also very important especially in a leadership role because as a leader you have to live and set good positive examples,” Justus said.
SIFF Development Officer primarily demands a lot of important responsibilities and technical expertise.
“Some of my daily responsibilities is to assist with the preparation of the national women’s teams, conducting women’s coaching courses, working closely with the competition department to organize football competition for girls, and work.
“I also work closely with the referees’ departments for the technical development of women refereeing courses and providing budgets for women football activities and administrative and technical works in the development of women football in the country,” she said.
She believed her job is not only concentrated in Honiara but also in the other nine provinces in the country.
“I have a national task to oversee the women’s football development throughout the country and therefore, I feel obliged and more confident to take up whatever necessary challenges that lie ahead in terms of developing women’s football here.
“I also feel very optimistic that more opportunities are now available to improve and develop the level of women’s football in other provinces in the country.”
Football My Passion
“Football is my passion because when I join football I learn a lot of things, for example, I learn to make friends and learned to express myself safely and positively,” she said.
“As a footballer, I learn to think positively, make the right decisions, and learn to be honest about myself. Respect others around me and also develop a peaceful mindset.”
“Through football, I learned to take pride in myself as a female footballer and to make myself feel important among my fellow teammates and working colleagues.
“Football is full of fun and excitement. Football is more than football because it improves my life a lot in terms of how I think and make decisions and have an open mindset.
“I enjoy the environment that football has given me.
“Therefore, I see myself as a role model for my family because despite I was challenged by my parents at the early beginning of my football career not to play soccer, I prove to them something positive in their lives as my parents.
“I learned a lot of respect and pride from my parents because I have a big love affair with football,” she said.
Overview of Women Football Development
She said women’s football is more concentrated in Honiara rather than in other provinces for example most women’s football competitions are centralized here.
“A lot still needs to be done to decentralize the development of women’s football to other provinces as well. But I believe with the new SIFF leadership and executive the future of women’s football looks very bright in the future.
“I believe more girls are now more involved in football and there is also huge positive support made from their parents.
“Being a football player, you can be a coach or a referee in the future and you can have a benefiting career out of it.”
