A former Hawke’s Bay futsal administrator has joined OFC as futsal/beach soccer development officer.

Napier-born Paul Toohey, who now lives in Auckland, will be responsible for the progress of the two small-sided codes in the Pacific region.

The 47-year-old founded Hawke’s Bay Futsal, an organisation that now has more than 60 teams.

The father of three has worked most recently with New Zealand Football as a futsal projects specialist and is also the former chairman of Futsal New Zealand, instigating and overseeing its administration handover to NZ Football.

“Futsal and beach soccer have vital roles to play in the technical development of the region, both now and in the future,” Toohey says.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with the member associations to create more activities and opportunities for players, coaches and administrators in both forms of the game. There is much to look forward to, with the Solomon Islands’ participation in the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup and the staging of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti.”

The other new staff member to the OFC’s technical department is Nicola Demaine.

The pair will work alongside technical director Patrick Jacquemet, head of education and training programme Didier Chambaron and player development officer Daniel Shirley as OFC programmes aimed at players, coaches, referees and medical personnel continue to increase.

Demaine has joined as the new women’s development officer and replaces Emmie Sope, who remains at OFC to take on a new challenge as the technical co-ordinator for Just Play, the confederation’s Fifa-approved grassroots programme that promotes physical activity and healthy living among primary schoolchildren. Demaine will develop on Sope’s work, focusing on progressing females in the game.

The 34-year-old Englishwoman is no stranger to football in Oceania after holding various roles in New Zealand since arriving here six years ago. Her most recent task was as a development officer for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Football Federation, a role that required her to lead women’s development within the region.

Demaine spent two years with the federation from 2009, helping produce more than 300 newly-qualified coaches through coach education courses and establishing a girls-only summer league with more than 50 per cent of the participants new to the sport.

“I have always been passionate about getting more females involved in the beautiful game,” she says. “I believe each of the countries in Oceania will offer different challenges and I’m looking forward to working with OFC’s member associations to hopefully make football the number one sport of choice for the women in our region.”