The second-smallest nation in the Pacific by landmass, the reefs and atolls of Tuvalu could scarcely feel more removed from the bright lights of European football, a stage that few footballers from the tiny South Pacific nation could ever dream of reaching.
Jason Alama will get to live that dream for two weeks though, when he travels to train with professional Dutch club VVV-Venlo this month.
“Tuvalu is a tiny island, that few people know about,” says Alama. “Just being able to represent my nation at this level means a lot.”
The 23-year-old will spend time with the club’s U-23 group during his stay in the Netherlands, arriving on 29 October, and staying for two weeks, as part of a training internship arranged by Michiel van der Werf, the General Secretary and Technical Director of the Tuvalu Islands Football Association (TIFA) – whom are currently associate members of OFC.
Alama has three international caps for Tuvalu, all coming at the 2023 Pacific Games, and has previously spent most of his career playing in New Zealand’s domestic leagues. He recently concluded his club season in New Zealand by securing qualification to the 2027 National League with Western Springs AFC.
The opportunity came about when van der Werf watched Alama’s highlights and enquired about a trial for the player through his connections in the Netherlands. A friend of his at VVV-Venlo was willing to give Alama the chance.
“I wasn’t expecting the news. I’m stoked to have this opportunity and am really excited to play football over there,” says Alama.
“I know the intensity will be higher and very professional, but I just can’t wait to get there and experience football in a different country.”
Established in 1903, VVV-Venlo were among the clubs involved in the formation of professional football in the Netherlands and have spent multiple seasons in the Dutch Eredivisie top flight, including as recently as 2020/21.
They are one of the most historic clubs in the country and previously played a part in the development of Japanese superstar Keisuke Honda in the late 2000s. It’s a far cry from where Alama first tied his bootlaces and began playing football at West Auckland club Ranui-Swanson when he was just five years old.
“It’s a great opportunity for Jason,” says van der Werf. “It will be a great learning internship for him and if all goes well there might be more Tuvaluans following to the Netherlands.”
“Our players need more challenges to develop themselves. And to give them a chance in Europe is definitely good for their development.”
Alama made his Northern League debut with Waitakere City when he was 16, and previously captained Waitakere United’s youth team in the New Zealand National Youth League before stints with West Coast Rangers and Western Springs.
His career path has now led him to the doorstep of European football, but he isn’t the first Tuvaluan international to train in the Netherlands. Alama follows in the footsteps of Alopua Petoa and Vaisua Liva, who both spent time with the reserve team for RKVV Brabantia in the lower levels of Dutch football back in 2012.
Unlike them, he hopes to become the first footballer from Tuvalu to earn a fully professional contract anywhere in the world. “I want to do my family and islands proud and become the first Tuvaluan to have a professional contract,” he says.
Van der Werf echoes that sentiment, and in doing so, also hopes to inspire the next generation of players from Tuvalu. “One of our goals is to create the first full professional Tuvaluan athlete and we think that that person might be Jason,” van der Werf says.
“His success might be a good story for future Tuvaluan football players so they can dream of also becoming a fully professional football player.”
Whatever the outcome of his two weeks in the Netherlands, Alama’s opportunity represents another small but significant step towards bringing Tuvaluan football closer to the professional game.
