TODAY is the day for all Navuans to unite and laud the efforts of Anil Sharma and his Red Devil gladiators.
Last week's historic IDC win -- Navua's first Lloyd Farebrother Trophy victory -- was the perfect send-off for the man, who has given two decades of his life to the growth of the game in the small rice-farming district.
When 13 Navua players took the Air Fiji flight to play their first game in the top division on northern soil in March 1990, there were signs that under the guidance of Sharma, the local Red Devils will come good one day.
Some 19 years on, teams travel to Labasa, play and return on the same day. However, that day Sharma surprised his squad.
The home side, laced with big names Simon Peters, Petero Namoce, Jope Lomu, Epeli Levaci, Buli Cama and company, won but it was the Navua team that was given a real treat.
Sharma, originally from Labasa, booked the then Farmers Club for the night and told his players to go out and enjoy themselves -- rescheduling the return flight to the morning after.
It was a trip to remember for most of the budding reps, most of whom had never boarded a plane before, having had to languish in the bottom tier of the Fiji Football Associa-tion competition.
It was only Navua's fourth game in the top ranks having won promotion just five months earlier, thanks to an Epeli Naloki stunner over Tailevu Naitasiri.
That Saturday night in Labasa most of the players let loose and many were seen crawling into their rooms in the early hours of The Sabbath Day -- Naidu's Nightclub was the place to be.
The party, including the Labasa players, shifted to the Navua camp and did not stop until the team departed at around 10am.
The excitement of that first trip up north got to some and one official even had to be warned by the pilot to "behave, or you will be thrown out" before take-off.
That time Navua was still looking to win its first game in the first division.
That was then, this is now.
Many Navuans still can't believe how far Sharma has brought this Navua side. After the Labasa trip, the traditional giants of Fiji soccer, Ba, visited Thomson Park.
It was a big game that people from all walks of life in the district came out to see, only to return home disappointed.
As expected, Navua was dumped 4-0 and making his debut for Ba that day and going on to make it big in the national team was goalkeeper Iosefo Vosa-boto.
Those days, the thought of just being in the top rank was something to be proud of for the Red Devils -- winning a tournament never crossed the mind of the players.
Slowly but surely, Sharma chipped away -- trying to put together a competitive unit, one that could rub shoulders with the giants of the game.
It took Navua 13 years before that dream turned to reality. Valerio Nawatu outfoxed star Ba defender Valerio Nasema on the edge of the Men in Black's box and Ba was beaten 1-0 in the semi-final.
Tiny Esala Ali came up with an unbelievable header to stun Rewa 1-0 in the 2003 Fiji FACT final at Ratu Cakobau Park.
The man who worked closely with Sharma in getting Navua into the premier ranks, now retired teacher Jai Kumar Singh, who is also from Labasa but resides in Navua, was coach as Navua lifted its first major title.
There was no looking back from there on.
Three more wins later (2005 BOG, 2008 and the 2009 Fiji FACT), the stage was set for a historic moment for Navua in Nadi on October 12, 2009.
As the rain pelted down at Prince Charles Park with the Navua players cosy in their rooms at the Melanesian Hotel, Sharma sat with his officials and back room staff gulping down the 'hot stuff'.
An hour before kick-off, brimming with confidence, he quipped to his players: "They (Lautoka) have nothing to play for, (meaning the Blues had won the IDC before), we're playing for a piece of history".
That, together with the promise of $35,000 from his pocket to accompany the $15,000 Fiji FA prize purse, was enough to inspire the Pene Erenio-led side.
The wheels fell off an otherwise cohesive-looking Blues bandwagon on a water-drenched Nadi pitch and an Alvin Avinesh scorcher and a Salesh Kumar fiercely dipping free-kick was enough to help Navua rewrite a piece of Fiji soccer history (2-0).
Sharma now moves on to share his success with the parent body, the Fiji FA. However, the 'Father of Navua Soccer' still sees Navua as his "baby" and says he will look for "the right man" to whom to hand over the baton.
It is believed, as vice-president, he will take on the national soccer team director's role.
Judging by Sharma's input and achievements, that sounds good -- at least we will get to see our national team in action more regularly.
It's time for the fans to salute their heroes and the man who has taken the Red Devils from easy-beats to the giants of Fiji soccer.
It's time for you Navuans to party -- you deserve it.
MANOJ KUMAR is a sub-editor with this newspaper and soccer comentator with Radio Fiji 2
