Moorea in French Polynesia boasts a thriving football scene

Island was the birthplace of Tahiti’s famed beach soccer side

Local club side recently featured at continental level

Tahiti has long been coveted as an idyllic tropical paradise. Located at the far edge of Oceania, midway between Australia and South America, it seems remote even by Pacific standards.

Head to the far end of Tahiti’s main island near the iconic surfing hotspot of Teahupo'o – slated to host the sport as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – and one is looking out across thousands of miles of ocean with no landmass to be found before hitting South America.

Yet French Polynesia, which encompasses all the islands in the vicinity, offers even more remote football connections. Half an hour by boat from Tahiti’s capital Papeete sits Moorea, a stunning sight with its towering verdant green mountains and azure coloured reef abundant in sea life. Take the hour-long drive around the island’s perimeter and it’s easy to see why Fletcher Christian and his band of 18th-century mutineers famously elected to shun the Old Continent and seek a new lifestyle in Polynesia.

Moorea may have a sleepy feel but it continues to play an important part in helping shape Tahitian football. The island of little more than 15,000 inhabitants boasts a strong connection to the game and recently made an unlikely impact at continental level.

Fourteen years ago Moorea was chosen to host the first-ever edition of the OFC Beach Soccer Championship. The bare bones of the facility remain (pictured above) and offer a dreamlike image of football with its posts virtually lapped by waves at high tide.