The choir concert fundraiser, last Saturday at Samoana High School gymnasium, continues fund riasing efforts for the American Samoa All Star Football Team.  Our team will be playing in the 2012 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Under 19 World Football Championships with seven other counties from June 30-July 7, 2012 at Burger Stadium, in Austin, Texas.

“We are asking the public for any donations to help send this American Samoa football team that will be representing American Samoa,” said American Samoa’s All Star Football Team Head Coach, Sua’ese ‘Pooch’ Ta’ase. “We would like to thank all of the choirs here today, as well as everyone else that turned out in support of the team, and for all of the donations. Right now, we are working on our airfare for the trip.

 “There will be eight teams participating-- Japan, Sweden, Canada, USA, Austria, France, Panama and American Samoa. It is going to be a great event. We will be playing against the USA on the first game on June 30. We are asking for everyone’s prayers and support in getting these young players to Austin, Texas for this great opportunity to show the world what American Samoa football is all about.

“If you wish to help out, you can contact me at 258-1471 or Mel Purcell at 254-5899. We are also partnering up with BlueSky on text messaging, where you can text in and they will take it away from your credit and that will be your contribution,” said Ta’ase

“We have another fundraiser coming up on June 1 and on June 8th and 9th, we will be doing a wheel barrel drive from the Eastern Side on one day and the Western Side on the other day,” he said.

The high schools that participated in the choir concert fundraiser were: Faga’itua, Kanana Fou, Tafuna, Nu’uuli Voc-Tech, Leone, Samoana and Kanana Fou Theological Seminary.

In February of this year, American Samoa qualified to play in the 2012 IFAF Under 19 World Football Championship, where they will be representing the Oceania Region, after defeating the Australian All Stars, in Australia by a score of 97-3.

American Samoa will be seeded last at #8, due to New Zealand who represented Oceania in 2009, losing all three of their games at that time, forcing American Samoa to be seeded last and to play first the top seeded team, the USA All Stars. The American Samoa All Star Team, is scheduled to depart the territory on June 21.

In the inaugural IFAF Under 19 World Football Championship that was played in 2009, the USA IFAF Under 19 All Star Team, defeated team Canada by a score of 41-3.