Football at the 1975 South Pacific Games
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Guam |
| Dates | 2–9 August |
| Teams | 7 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tahiti (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | New Caledonia |
| Third place | Solomon Islands |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 56 (4.31 per match) |
← 1971 1979 → | |
Football was contested as part of the programme for the 1975 South Pacific Games which was hosted in Tumon, Guam from 1 to 10 August 1975. It was the fifth edition of the men's football tournament at the multi-sport event organised by the Pacific Games Council.
The football tournament began with the first matches of the group stage on 2 August 1975 and ended with the gold medal match on 9 August 1975. Two-time defending champions New Caledonia and Tahiti contested the final in what was a replay of both the 1966 final and the 1969 final. Tahiti defeated New Caledonia 2–1 after extra time to win the gold medal. In the bronze medal match, the Solomon Islands defeated Fiji 3–2.
Background
Football had been part of the South Pacific Games programme following the debut of the men's competition at the inaugural 1963 South Pacific Games in Fiji.[1]
New Caledonia held the record for gold medals having won the football tournament three times. They were the two-time defending champions after defeating the New Hebrides 7–1 in the gold medal match at the 1971 South Pacific Games in Tahiti and Tahiti 2–1 in the gold medal match at the 1969 South Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea.[1]
Format
Seven teams took part in the competition. They were drawn into two single round robin groups – one of four teams and one of three teams. The group winners and runners-up would contest the semi-finals which would decide the teams contesting the gold and bronze medal matches.[2]
Group stage
Group 1
New Caledonia won the group to progress to the semi-finals alongside Tahiti.[2]
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Caledonia | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 |
| Tahiti | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 |
| New Hebrides | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | –2 |
| Papua New Guinea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | –9 |
| Tahiti | 0–3 | New Caledonia |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
| Tahiti | 3–0 | New Hebrides |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
Group 2
Fiji won the group to progress to the semi-finals alongside the Solomon Islands.[2]
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiji | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 |
| Solomon Islands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
| Guam | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | –15 |
| Fiji | 1–1 | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
| Solomon Islands | 5–1 | Guam |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
Semi-finals
New Caledonia defeated the Solomon Islands and Tahiti defeated Fiji in the semi-finals.[2]
Bronze medal match
The Solomon Islands defeated Fiji to win the bronze medal.[2]
| Fiji | 2–3 | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
Gold medal match
Tahiti defeated New Caledonia to win the gold medal.[2]
| New Caledonia | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Tahiti |
|---|---|---|
| [2] |
References
- ^ a b Di Maggio, Roberto; Garin, Erik; Morrison, Neil; Schöggl, Hans (7 December 2023). "(South) Pacific Games and Mini Games". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Cruickshank, Mark; Morrison, Neil; Veroeveren, Pieter (2 May 2013). "South Pacific Games 1975 (Guam)". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.