Rugby league is the national sport and most popular sport in the Cook Islands, with

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and rugby union as the next most popular/played sports. In September 2009, the Cook Islands hosted the

2009 Pacific Mini Games The 2009 Pacific Mini Games was held in the Cook Islands from 21 September to 2 October. It was the 8th edition of the Pacific Mini Games. Torch lighters were the athletes Daniel Tutai and Patricia Taea, the Cook Islands' junior sportsman and ...

. Cook Islands Sports National Olympic Committee is the official governing body of sport in the Cook Islands.

Types of football

Rugby league

Rugby league is the national sport and the most popular sport in the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands were introduced to rugby league in 1988, when the

Cook Islands national rugby league team The Cook Islands national rugby league team have represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league football since 1986. Administered by the Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA), the team has competed at two Rugby League World ...

played their first match against the New Zealand Maori team. In the mid-1990s, rugby league in the Cook Islands received significant funding through the SuperLeague organisation; however, money from this source is no longer available. The greatest event in the history of Cook Islands rugby league – and probably Cook Islands sport more generally – was the victory in the 1995 Emerging Nations Rugby League World Cup, held in the United Kingdom. Cook Islands emerged victorious 22–6 over Ireland in the Final held at Gigg Lane, Bury, on 24 October 1995. In more recent times, the

has received a major boost through the involvement of former professional rugby league players Kevin Iro and

Matt Rua Matthew Rua (born 20 July 1977) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Melbourne Storm, w ...

(both native Cook Islanders), in the form of selector and defensive coach for the national side. Both players represented New Zealand internationally and played many National Rugby League games. Rugby league also receives much time on television in the Cook Islands, with four NRL games shown per week, fuelling the popularity of the sport amongst the islanders. The

made their senior World Cup debut in 2000 and played in their second world cup in the

2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013. It was the main event of the year's 2013 Festival of World ...

. They competed again in the

2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received £2 ...

in England where they recorded one win from three matches.

Rugby union

The Cook Islands is a tier-three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in the early 1990s, and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. The Cook Islands Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the Cook Islands. It was founded in 1989, and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1995.

Association football (soccer)

The Cook Islands Football Association is the governing body of football in the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands Round Cup is the top division in the Cook Islands, and the Cook Islands Cup is the top knock-out tournament.

Footballers of Cook Islands descent

The following list includes players of various codes of football. These include: *

Pekahou Cowan Pekahou J. M. Cowan (born 2 June 1986) is an Australian rugby union footballer who plays for Wellington in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship. His usual position is prop and he can play on both sides of the scrum. Early life Cowan wa ...

Robbie Fruean Robert Fruean (; born 13 July 1988, in Wellington) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer. He is a midfield back and plays outside centre (13) and sometimes on the wing. He is a former Porirua College head boy. He is of Samoan & Cook isl ...

Carl Hoeft Carl Henry Hoeft (born 13 November 1974, in Auckland) is a former rugby union footballer from New Zealand, currently working as coach. His usual position was at loosehead prop. He was a part of the New Zealand national rugby union team squad at b ...

Tafai Ioasa Tafai Ioasa (born 7 October 1980 in Hastings) is a New Zealand rugby union player who has played for the New Zealand national rugby sevens team. He played rugby in Japan for Fukuoka Sanix Blues , formerly ''Fukuoka Sanix Blues'' and ''Fukuoka S ...

James Kamana James Kamana (born 15 August 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays mostly as a full-back or a winger. He represents the Lions in Super Rugby and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup. He previously played for Wa ...

Johnny Leota Johnny Leota (born 21 January 1984) is a Samoan rugby union player who played for Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership. Leota was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand and made his international debut for Samoa in 2011; he has since won 20 caps ...

Aaron Mauger Aaron Joseph Douglas Mauger (last name pronounced "Major"; born 29 November 1980) is a New Zealand professional rugby union coach and former player. He played at centre for Leicester Tigers. Playing career Born in Christchurch, Mauger played fi ...

* Nathan Mauger * Craig McGrath *

Ryan Nicholas Ryan Tamarua Nicholas (born 23 May 1979 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian-born Japanese rugby union player who plays for Suntory Sungoliath of the Top League in Japan. In July 2011, he received Japanese citizenship. ...

* Henry Paul * Robbie Paul * Rene Ranger *

Stephen Setephano Steven Miimetua Setephano (born 15 April 1984) is a New Zealand rugby union player of Cook Islands descent who has represented the Cook Islands national rugby union team. His positions of choice are number 8 or flanker. He has previously playe ...

* Teddy Stanaway *

Lima Sopoaga Lima Sopoaga (born 3 February 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays for Lyon in the Top 14 competition. His regular playing positions are Fly-Half and Centre. Early life Sopoaga was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His family co ...

* Stan Wright

Cricket

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

is played on

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

, and some of the outer islands (where the rules are often similar to the sport of Samoan cricket or kirikiti). Most villages have teams, which compete in a league after the end of the soccer season. It is popular among the older generation. The men's and women's national teams play in ICC East Asia-Pacific tournaments.

Netball

Women's netball is a very popular sport in the Cook Islands, and the country has one of the world's top 10 teams, which competed in the 2007 Netball World Cup.

References

External links

Cook Islands Sports & National Olympic Commitee [sic
{{Cook Islands topics Sport in the Cook Islands">ic">Cook Islands Sports & National Olympic Commitee [sic
{{Cook Islands topics Sport in the Cook Islands