As it stands, Marshall Islands in Oceania’s Micronesia region is the last remaining sovereign nation in the world without an international football team.
And if three determined English men have their way, that could change sooner rather than later.
Located 5270km from Australia, the Republic has five islands and a population of just over 42,000 people.
Basketball has that mantle now, and hypothetically, recruiting and developing 11 quality footballers for an international qualifier tomorrow could be a daunting task.
Some would say impossible.
As it stands, Marshall Islands (pictured) is the last remaining sovereign nation in the world without an international football team
With a population of just over 42,000 there is scope for a future national team (pictured, a current crop of eager locals)
In 2001, the gulf in class between established football nations and minnows was evident when the Socceroos beat American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qualifier – Archie Thompson (pictured) scored 13 goals for Australia
There is also significant work which needs to be done when it comes to the world game on the Marshall Islands – the sovereign nation currently has no football clubs or competitions.
If that wasn’t enough, there are also no fields, goalposts and only a handful of balls.
Establishing a football Federation in 2020 was a positive step for a nation which was previously annexed by Germany, occupied by Japan during World War I and then the US following the second World War.
Bikini Atoll on the Islands was also the venue where America conducted 67 nuclear weapon tests between 1945 and 1958.
To this day, the huge concrete dome on Runit Island, which contains radioactive waste, is an understandable sore point with the locals. To make matters worse, it has developed a crack.
Climate change is also a real threat. According to research carried out by the Marshall Islands government along with the World Bank in 2021, a 1m surge in sea has the potential to inundate 40 per cent of structures and wipe out entire islands
A Netflix sporting documentary – perhaps similar to the 2023 film Next Goal Wins, which showcased the fortunes of American Samoa – who infamously lost 31-0 to the Socceroos in 2001 in a World Cup qualifier – could ensure football becomes a permanent focus on the Marshall Islands.
At the time that one-sided result launched the career of Archie Thompson, who scored 13 goals for Australia at Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast.
Just 22 at the time, Thompson went overseas with an envied goal-scoring reputation, enjoying stints in Belgium and Holland.
‘That [a documentary] could be a game changer for us,’ Walley told Fairfax.
‘The last country on earth without football would be an amazing story. ‘For me, this is a story that needs to be told.’
