While football fans all over the world prepare for the World Cup in South Africa, English coach Paul Watson is preparing for a very different footballing challenge.
The 25-year-old, who is the youngest international coach in football history, is getting ready to lead the tiny Micronesian island of Pohnpei on a tour of Guam where they will go in search of their first ever win.
When Watson took over the reigns in Kolonia last July Pohnpei were widely regarded as the worst football team in the world having never won any competitive fixture. With an obesity rate of 90%, 10 times more rain than Manchester and no government or FIFA funding for football, building a football team in Pohnpei was an uphill battle.
But football is now flourishing on the island. Last year's Pohnpei Premier League saw five teams compete using shirts donated by English clubs such as Yeovil Town, Bristol City, Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City. The 16 players who impressed most in the League were selected for State Team training and Pohnpei romped to a series of resounding wins against foreign players on the island.
Talented captain Dilshan Senarathgoda, who averages more than a goal a game from midfield, and 17-year-old striking sensation Joseph Welson have even been linked with clubs in Australia having impressed scouts with recent performances in Pohnpei.
When Pohnpei take off for Guam on August 7 for a week-long tour they will be looking to avenge their last result against their neighbours - a 16-1 demolition. However, it will be a David v Goliath task but coach Watson believes that merely travelling to Guam will be a huge step for football in Micronesia.
"To say we are underdogs is a massive understatement," he said. "Our budget per year is the £3,000-ish that we receive from the Olympic Committee and that has to be divided throughout Micronesia, Guam are a member of FIFA and get hundreds of thousands of pounds. They have a £1m football facility, we have a bumpy, frog-covered pitch.
"However, if we can take off the island for the first time in a decade it will put things in motion. It will be the chance of a lifetime for these fantastic players who have never left the island before, but it will also encourage FIFA to give us the funding we need to make a change for the next generation. We have a schools project just waiting to start but we have no funds for it. Micronesian kids are great athletes and who knows where they could be in 10 years' time with a little encouragement."
This summer, grassroots coaching and refereeing courses will be held in the other Micronesian islands of Yap, Chuuk and Kosrae as well as Pohnpei with a view to creating a Federated States of Micronesia national team, which would be eligible for World Cup qualifiers.
Pohnpei Soccer is still looking for sponsors for their tour to Guam. Sponsorship options start at just £5. Anybody interested in supporting the biggest underdogs in world football should contact pohnpeisoccer@gmail.com .
If you would like to know more about Paul and his work, log in to www.pohnpeisoccer.com
