Flags, Songs, and Soccer: A Marshallese Celebration in Springdale

Soccer is not a major sport in Arkansas. Though clubs exist across the state, their matches rarely draw large crowds. That changed on Saturday, August 16, when a historic game in Springdale brought thousands of fans together, filling the stands with excitement.

The occasion was the international debut of the Marshall Islands, a small Pacific nation in Oceania with a population of about 40,000. Long recognized as the last country in the world without a national soccer team, the Marshall Islands reached a milestone with two matches in Arkansas.

For Arkansas’s considerable Marshallese community, the event was about more than a game. It became a moment of unity, cultural pride, and celebration.

A Match Beyond the Scoreboard

The results on the field did little to diminish the joy. In their debut, the Marshall Islands fell 4-0 to the U.S. Virgin Islands, but fans in Springdale embraced the moment as a triumph in itself. At Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium, home to Springdale High School athletics, the atmosphere was electric.

After the fourth goal, the crowd rose to its feet, waving flags and shouting encouragement. One supporter yelled, “This is the RMI! Keep your head up!”

Two days later, the team added another milestone, scoring its first international goals in a close 3-2 loss to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Center back Josiah Blanton reflected on the team’s steep learning curve. The squad had just five training sessions before the debut, and its players came from varied soccer backgrounds. “Now that we know how we play in general and our weaknesses as a team, we have a couple days to prepare for another team that has been in Fifa for a while,” he said. “The fact we could come out with a 4-0 after never playing was great.”

Manager Lloyd Owers called the moment unforgettable. “The roar when the first whistle went was deafening. Singing the national anthem with the people around us was incredible,” he said. “We hope that Northwest Arkansas is home for us for a long time. We’ve been welcomed with open arms and have had such a good experience.”

Owers, who became the Marshall Islands’ technical director in late 2022, has been central to the effort to establish the team internationally.

Roots, Resilience, and Representation

Springdale was no random setting for the Marshall Islands’ debut. Northwest Arkansas is home to an estimated 15,000 Marshallese residents, one of the largest Marshallese populations outside the islands. For decades, families have made their homes in the region under the Compact of Free Association (COFA), which grants Marshallese citizens the ability to live and work legally in the United States.

That strong local presence made Springdale a natural home for the team’s first international matches.

Even in defeat, the event felt like a victory. “Today’s event means a lot to the Marshallese community, to see people waving our flag and having a team to represent the Marshall Islands has been very touching to a lot of community members,” said Anjanette Anjel, consul general for the RMI consulate in Springdale. “Everyone is very proud of the team and really excited for the games.”

For many, the celebration carried deeper significance.

“Marshallese people don’t trust people on the outside,” said Stephanie Takamaru of the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese. She pointed to the community’s long history of hardship, including displacement caused by United States nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls.

Though COFA grants Marshallese citizens the right to work and live legally in the U.S., barriers remain. Takamaru noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been active in the region, sometimes causing confusion for residents who rely on passports and I-94 forms as proof of legal status.

These challenges have only reinforced solidarity within the community. “We’re all oneness and together when it comes to big events and life events,” Takamaru said. “The national team is getting a huge fanbase out here. That’s really cool to see. Having that on the international level is such a statement for our tiny island.”

Building Toward the Future

Manager Owers urged his players to treat the debut as a foundation to build upon.

“If it was 20-0 would anyone have cared? Because it was sort of expected. We’ve gone in, 2-0 in both halves. That is unbelievable, and everyone should be so proud of this,” he said. “Now, we’ve got a different focus. This bit is gone. Saturday, we genuinely come out with different expectations. We don’t come out to make the numbers up, we come out to beat Turks and Caicos.”

For now, the wins and losses may matter less than the pride the team has already inspired. For the Marshallese community in Arkansas, simply having a national team to cheer for turned a debut defeat into a day of celebration.