Philip Mango, Captain and Goal keeper of the brand spanking new Solomon Island Kings, is everything about diplomacy that football sets out to be. Plucked from his basketball side as a teen to fill in as Goal Keeper in a school game because he could jump, Mango largely learned his skills guarding the net from you tube and a pamphlet given to him by OFC Goalkeeping Consultant James Bannatyne, a visiting coach on a development mission. In this deeply religious country that boasts an economy still largely based on fishing and farming just enough for the nations own use, Philip Mango at 30 is now one of the new breed of leaders learning management, mindset and physical empowerment through football; taking it back into the community in one of the worlds least developed nations.
The Solomon Island Kings are the countries first ever professional club, created by the national government, the Solomon Islands Football Federation, and Australian club Wynnum Wolves. Never in his wildest dreams did Philip mango expect that he would be able to create a prodessional pathway in sport. beyond his pkaying and his capatincy, he has now been appointed as an educator for the OFC GK C License Course.
","author_name":"Lisbeth Gorr"}