Tuvalu Sports Ground
Tuvalu Sports Ground is a multi-use stadium in Funafuti, Tuvalu. It is currently used mostly for football and rugby matches. The stadium holds 1,500 people. It is the only stadium in Tuvalu so all football tournaments are played at the stadium: A-Division; Independence Cup; NBT Cup; Tuvalu Games and also the Christmas Cup. The Tuvalu national football team draws from players in the Tuvalu A-Division; with the national team training at the Tuvalu Sports Ground. The first large scale system for renewable energy in Tuvalu is a 40 kW solar panel installation on the  roof of the Tuvalu Sports Ground stands. This grid-connected 40 kW solar system was established in 2008 by the E8 and Japan Government through Kansai Electric Company (Japan) and contributes 1% of electricity production on Funafuti. Future plans include expanding this plant to 60 kW. Stadium info. The islands of Tuvalu are narrow atolls composed of coral so that a football field could only be located at the broadest part of the main island of Funafuti. The football field on Tuvalu is built on a coral base, with river clay shipped in from Fiji to create a surface on  which grass has grown. This improved the football fields condition although the surface remains hard and is not uniformly flat. Tuvaluan football players are technically strong and are able to control the ball on the difficult surface of the Tuvalu Sports Ground field. The Tuvalu National Football Association has been wanting to be a member of FIFA since 1987. However the lack of football facilities in Tuvalu is a major obstacle membership of FIFA. The Tuvalu Sports Ground is not a stadium that is suitable for holding international games because Tuvalu does not have any training grounds or hotels for  visiting teams and supporters.