Samoa Bowl extends invitations for Dec. 2024

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — After reviving the Samoa Bowl last year after it had been dormant since 2016, the Lemanu- Talaluega Administration has put Samoa Bowl 2024 on the calendar from December 23rd to 30th, 2024.

This event, initiated under the Togiola administration in 2003, “continues to stand as a beacon of opportunity for high school student athletes of Samoan descent, both local and from off the islands.”

This year's Samoa Bowl is extending invitations to teams from Hawaii, Los Angeles, Washington State, and the Midwest. ASG will be hosting the event, with the goal of fostering camaraderie, promoting cultural appreciation, and enhancing athletic excellence for both participants and spectators, according to a press release issued by the Governor’s Office

The Samoa Bowl presents a unique occasion for student athletes, both female and male, to reconnect with their heritage while engaging in the sports they love. Through the collaborative efforts with the American Samoa Department of Education, ASG extends its support offering high school athletes a platform to demonstrate their talents and abilities in football and volleyball with a heightened level of competition.

BACKGROUND

In 2016 the American Samoa High School Athletic Association (ASHSAA) Board along with the Department Of Education’s Sports Department made the decision for a local All Star team to be selected to take part in the Junior Prep Sports (JPS) Paradise Football Classic, which was initiated in Hawaii that year. 

At the time Samoa News spoke with DOE Sports Director Li’amatua Amisone who said that ‘exposure’ of the athletes for scholarship opportunities is one of the main reasons why they’re taking this strategy — for taking an All-Star team to Hawai’i.

The trip cost over $100,000 for the kids and the coaches, as well as other personnel.

Amisone was one of the originators of the Samoa Bowl program, which started back in 2003. “In the beginning it was a quality tournament, that’s where we’ve seen top players from Hawa’ii,” he said.

However, according to Amisone, one of the issues and problems that kept some of the best players in Hawai’i from playing in the Samoa Bowls had to do with insurance coverage issues. “Lately, we haven’t seen those top players coming down with Hawai’i’s All-Star team when they come down for our Samoa Bowls,” he explained.

The DOE Sports director said Samoa Bowl organizers had informed Hawai’i that there is no insurance coverage for these bowl games for when a player gets injured. Not only that, he said, “These kids are looking to make a future in the sport, so if they come here for the Samoa Bowl and get hurt, not only are they not covered, but that’ll be the beginning of a questionable football career for them, so we understand.”

According to Amisone, in addition to the insurance issue, the only players that Hawai’i brought down are the ones who could afford to pay their own way. “One of the other reasons is that there is no exposure of athleticism at our Samoa Bowls – and that is one of the reasons why the Governor [Lolo Moliga] decided to start taking our kids to Hawai’I instead, was for college football-scholarship opportunities, especially with the amount of talent we have here on island.”