Nearly 40 Native Hawaiian soccer players wrapped up their final practice on Kamehameha Day on Monday at Atherton Field in Kaneohe in preparation for a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Nā ʻĀlapa Hawaii U18 national team was chosen from a pool of approximately 300 players who tried out.

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In late July, the team will represent the Hawaiian Islands in competition against the Tongan and Māori national teams at Ngahua Reserve in Auckland.

Two teams from Hawaii will compete: One U18 Kāne (male) squad and one Wāhine (female) team.

The Hui Kanaka Pōwāwae training camp took place over the weekend. Hui Kanaka Pōwāwae is “the first ever all-Native Hawaiian football federation dedicated to using association football to reclaim Hawaiian National identity,” a press release reads. “We envision a future Hawaiian football nation rich in national character and pride, where every Native Hawaiian has the opportunity to better their lives through association football. Our goal is to improve the overall well-being of Native Hawaiians by providing cultural, educational, and career opportunities through football.”

“I feel like it’s super important to us, especially because this is the first team and just setting the example for the younger players and knowing that there’s representation out there for them and that our culture is everything and it identifies who we are and that we should be represented in the international level as well,” said Kaiya-Juliette Kapaku, a Kamehameha-Maui student who plays for the Wāhine team. “I feel like that’s way more important than competing because just having our culture being spread around the world and being known is the number one thing.

“Playing soccer on top of that is just a plus.

“We are a national team and that’s how it should be taken. We feel that since it’s new and might not be as recognized, but we are just as important as any other nation’s national team.”

Added assistant coach Noe Bio: “The fact that they’re all kanaka is is what’s bringing them together. Everybody has come from all different parts of Hawaii and different schools, and they have different backgrounds, different upbringings. But, the common theme is that they’re here to play and their love and passion for the game and of course, their heritage is something that they can represent here as we travel abroad and really get our name out there.”