Having failed to get the Brisbane United joint venture for the second-tier Australian Championship over the line, Krayem considered a solo Wolves entry to the new OPL, which would allow a maximum of one Australian side to join. “At that point of time, airfares and accommodation were to be funded by FIFA, and to the most consistent team over a four-year period qualifies for the [FIFA Club World Cup],” he said. Oceania representative Auckland City took home more than $AU7 million for competing at this year’s tournament. “That’s huge. I said, why wouldn’t we do that?” Krayem said. But when it became clear Australian clubs would have to fund their own airfares and be denied entry to the lucrative Club World Cup, due to Australia’s membership of the Asian Football Confederation, Krayem took a different approach and teamed up with the SIFF. He said it was an obvious partnership for a club with a connection to the Solomon Islands that started a quarter-century ago, when the club took a team over to play exhibition matches. Several Solomon Islander internationals have played in Wynnum’s black and white kit – colours it shares with German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund, with which it has established formal links, and the new Solomon Kings FC. Krayem said 65 per cent of Solomon Islanders in Australia lived in south-east Queensland, which had the only direct route by air to their homeland. “There’s already that sort of connection,” he added. “A lot of Australian businesses operate out of Brisbane straight into Honiara and I think they want to grow their tourism.” The Kings have lined up a chief executive with English Premier League experience, and have already agreed terms with a high-profile head coach. But as important as success on the field would be for the club financially, it was the transformational effect on the community that excited the Kings’ backers. “As soon as it’s dark, kids get out when no one’s on the road and they’re kicking a ball. I think the impact that we could have, what Australia could do for them, through football is huge,” Krayem said. The International Monetary Fund estimates the Solomon Islands’ per capita GDP is just $US2380 (Australia’s, by comparison, is $US65,550). For this Pacific island nation, the potential benefits of this new venture could be invaluable. “It is an opportunity for the kids and the youth to have something to look forward to,” Marahare said. “One thing for certain is that you go anywhere in the villages, all the villages in the provinces, it’s very difficult to see clinics and hospitals, but you will be able to see soccer pitches, soccer fields everywhere. “And this is a testament of how people, both in the urban and in the rural areas, love football.” And with Brisbane set to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, engagement with Pacific nations through sport would only get more important. Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said while he was unaware of the Solomon Kings until informed by this masthead, the diplomatic potential of sport to solidify links with the Pacific was central to Games planning. “They really feel that these are their Games as well, and there is definitely a geopolitical positive to that,” he said. “In other words, Oceania – a vast amount of territory, small population, small islands, strategically important to Australia – is not lost on us, nor the Prime Minister, nor DFAT.” Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.