Tuvalu international Alama set for trial with VVV-Venlo

Tuvalu international Alama is due to begin a trial with VVV-Venlo, according to Voetbal International. The 23-year-old left-back is expected to arrive in Venlo on 29 October and will be given the opportunity to earn a contract with the Dutch club.

Michiel van der Werf, technical director of the Tuvalu football federation, confirmed the planned trial to Oceania Football Center. Alama currently plays for Western Springs AFC in New Zealand, having previously represented Waitakere City and West Coast. Like several players from the wider Oceania region, he moved to New Zealand to pursue his football career.

Alama has represented Tuvalu at senior international level on multiple occasions. Although the island state is not affiliated with FIFA, it belongs to the Oceania Football Confederation and competed at the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands. Alama featured against Vanuatu, Tonga and the Northern Mariana Islands, with Tuvalu recording victories over the latter two opponents. He has also represented his country in official futsal internationals.

The journey to Venlo will be a significant one. Tuvalu, whose population is estimated at fewer than 10,000, can only be reached by air through Fiji. Travellers continuing to the Netherlands must then connect through destinations such as New Zealand or Tonga before taking further flights. Former Dutch coach Foppe de Haan also has a link to the remote island nation, having served as Tuvalu’s national-team coach in 2011.