Peace the goal behind gifts of sporting gear

Sergeant Jim Casson says giving soccer balls helped break the ice in Bougainville and he plans to send some out to the Solomon Islands. Picture / Paul Estcourt

As Hordes of English fans cheer the news of Wayne Rooney's inclusion in their World Cup squad, on the other side of the planet a similar kind of joy is about to be derived from the world's most beautiful game.

But the circumstances could not be more different. The Solomon Islands and Bougainville are both poverty-stricken and facing civil unrest, but the gift of a soccer ball can ease the tension and break the ice.

Last year Hamilton Police Sergeant James Casson served as a peacekeeper for the New Zealand Police contingent in Bougainville.

He did not like the thought of standing around on the village fringes dressed in uniform, so he thought of an alternative to keep the peace.

He went with an arsenal of sports equipment.

"I arranged a 'Balls for Bougainville' campaign. I took over to the island rugby balls, soccer balls, basketballs, and other gear and distributed one or two balls to each village. The response was just amazing."

Giving the balls broke the ice and the locals developed trust in the New Zealand forces. The situation in Bougainville was the same as the Solomon Islands, said Mr Casson.

"While the riots were going on in Honiara there was a soccer stadium nearby. They didn't touch that. They just love their soccer so much."

When he returned to New Zealand, the Oceania Football Federation got in touch.

Its bosses wanted to contribute to Mr Casson's campaign, but it came too late for the people of Bougainville.

So for the past few months up to 10 complete soccer kits and more than 100 new balls have been waiting in storage for distribution to a worthy cause.

Last month Mr Casson flew to Honiara in the Solomons as part of the special force to quell civil disorder. While there he suddenly remembered the equipment back home.

A new contingent of 30 New Zealand Police officers is about to leave for a six-month assignment in the islands.

Mr Casson has decided to put the gear aboard the next available military flight for his police colleagues to distribute.

"The people over there are soccer mad. They do anything to play, they shove sticks in to the ground for their goal posts."

He says the equipment can help bring stability to communities. "If you win the kids over, you win the adults over."

There's only one reservation about encouraging soccer in the islands.

"They beat us and put us out of World Cup qualification, and now there's a few of them playing in our own National League."