Football

Fiji women football side known as ‘Kulas’

July 12, 2022 1:00 pm

The national women’s football side will now be known as the ‘Digicel Kula’.

This has been announced by the Fiji Football Association and major sponsor Digicel on the eve of the Oceania Football Confederation Women’s Nations Cup.

The kula or the collared lory, is the national bird of Fiji.

Article continues after advertisement

This striking beautiful bird is endemic to the Fiji Islands and was the clear choice for the new moniker of the women’s national football team.

Fiji FA Chief Executive, Mohammed Yusuf, says the new nickname will help identify and distinguish our women’s team who have worked hard over the years to earn a name for themselves in football.

Yusuf adds historically, Kula’s scarlet feathers were highly valued and prized and an integral part of the culture, especially for its use on ceremonial dresses and mat edging.

Although it’s now substituted with wool, the decorative mat edging is still often referred to as kula.

The CEO says our women’s team is an integral part of Fiji Football and they hold our Kula in high esteem.

Digicel Fiji CEO, Farid Mohammed says women’s football in the country has improved tremendously over the past few years, with their sponsorship and support, they saw the first-ever Women’s Super League introduced in Fiji which is also a first in the region.

The OFC Women’s Nations Cup comes with the opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Play-Off Tournament.

Our Kulas take on Solomon Islands in the first match at 7pm on Thursday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

On Sunday they’ll take on the New Caledonia at the same time and venue.