The opening weekend of the 2015/2016 season of the Telekom S-League will feature newcomers – West Honiara FC and FC Guadalcanal, in the first two opening matches.

The Telekom S-League starts next Saturday August 22, with West Honiara FC taking on Real Kakamora at 2pm, before FC Guadalcanal receives a baptism of fire against former champions and hot title contenders, Solomon Warriors.

Fixtures were confirmed following the official draw for the Telekom S-League conducted at the Mendana Hotel yesterday in front of the SIFF Secretariat, members of the S-League Board, Club Managers and members of the media.

West Honiara FC’s Head coach and former national mid fielder, Joel Konofilia, said it is an honour for them to play the first match of the 2015/2016 season.

“I love it, we look forward to it,” Konofilia told SunSPORTS after the official draw yesterday.

“It’s an honour for us as a new team and we are going to be opening the league.

“We have done the best we can do in preparing the team is all that I can say. The best within our capacity and the team is prepared well, and is ready for the competition,” he said.

West Honiara FC will be going into the S-League with the club’s primary intention to provide an avenue for the football talents in west Honiara to be exposed.

“We are a new team and there are lots of potential footballers who are left out just because of football venues. They (players) stay far away from east Honiara and all the teams are from east Honiara and I want to prove my earlier statement that there are lots of raw materials here (west Honiara) that needs to be encouraged.

“We do not have any big name players, we recruit players from west Honiara only and some from central Honiara,” Konofilia said.

As for FC Guadalcanal, they are ready for the Solomon Warriors challenge.

“First game we are up against a former champion, basically as a club we treat everyone with respect because everyone is well prepared,” FC Guadalcanal’s Team Manager, Timmy Manea, said.

“We have prepared well for our first season in the S-League and we will take each game as it comes.

“The League will be played in two rounds and there will be other games but we are happy to take on Solomon Warriors in the first game as it might set the bench mark on whether we are ready to compete and we are now looking forward for that first match,” he said.

Meanwhile, Western United will begin their title defence against Koloale FC on Sunday August 23 at 2pm, also next weekend, while Kossa FC will take on Malaita Kingz.

Member of the S-League Board, Barnabas Anga, assured clubs of the Board’s willingness and commitment to support the progress of the S-League despite the many challenges faced.

“This is a beginning of a new journey which we should take together to improve the country’s National Soccer League (NSL),” Anga told club representatives during yesterday’s official draw.