Papua New Guinea

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Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia in 1975. At the time Australian football was the dominant code but rugby league quickly took over.

PNG is an interesting place. There are approximately 7 million people in the Pacific and 5 million of them are in PNG. But PNG has yet to realise its full potential.

I wrote this report upon my return to Australia:



Sport within Society background

Sport receives excellent press and TV coverage with the main influence coming from Australia.

Australian football, league and union are played in the Dry season and cricket is played in the Wet season.

Papua New Guineans are very passionate about their sport. Rugby League is the main sport with a fanatical following. The reason for this is the exposure the sport receives on television. The local free to air station broadcasts three NRL games per week (Friday night, Saturday and Sunday) as well as Test matches and State of Origin. By way of contrast Australian football gets a weekly half hour wrap up hosted by Rex Hunt.

Ekonia Peni told me that people have killed each other over State of Origin matches and that they need to get the same passion back into footy!

In the Port Moresby competition there are 14 clubs and each club fields a Senior, Reserves and Under-19 team. There is also a schools program.

The Kumuls are PNG’s national rugby league team and they play regular international matches, including an annual game against Fiji. Australia’s national team, the Kangaroos, played 3 Test against PNG in 1992 in Port Moresby, Lae and Goroko. The matches were extremely popular and drew huge crowds. As we are all well aware, anything league can do footy can do better, so the AFL should give serious consideration to playing an Ansett Cup match in PNG (see the section on Facilities).

SP is the main beer in PNG and they sponsor the SP Cup, which is held at the end of the league season. In this tournament four regional zones compete: Southern, Highlands, Northern and New Guinea Islands. The teams are:

Southern - Port Moresby, Popondetta, Alotau, Daru, Kerema, Tabubil
Northern - Lae, Madang, Wewak, Vanimo
Highlands - Goroka, Mt Hagen, Mendi, Simbu
Islands - Rabaul, Kavieng, Kimbe, Buka

A good opportunity exists for Rules with the cancellation of the Cambridge Cup, which involves the champions of each region (e.g. Alotau v Vanimo). People such as Melbourne Storm’s Marcus Bai (who is a national hero) have traditionally benefitted from exposure through the Cambridge Cup.

Further, Scott Reid has had some promising discussions with SP and it would be a huge boost if PNG footy can get SP behind it. No doubt the prospects for success will be greatly enhanced by having the AFL on board.

Cricket is probably the second most popular sport and is followed throughout the country and played in most regions. An example is the Country Cup, a village tournament involving teams from around the Papuan coast and sponsored by the NCD.

There are seven cricket associations in PNG. The Port Moresby Cricket Association consists of 8 clubs, with each club having Firsts, Seconds, Thirds, Under 17’s and a women’s team, a total of 40 teams.

Cricket is another sport that has benefitted from the decline of footy in PNG. When Veari Maha became Chairman of the PNG Cricket Board in 1986, total sponsorship was $K5000 (Mobil Oil). Today assets are valued at over $K500,000. Coca-Cola provides $K20,000 per year to junior cricket whilst Wills are providing the senior competition with $K35,000 over three years. In addition, the International Cricket Council provide £40,000 every quarter.

PNG cricketers play regular international matches and when they go on tour they pay nothing, in marked contrast to the PNG Mosquitoes.

Rugby Union has 12 clubs, including Seniors and Reserves teams. Pukpuk rugby is the modified version for juniors.

Soccer is very popular with many men’s and women’s teams. Softball has 30 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams. Other popular sports include hockey, basketball, volleyball, tennis, squash and lawn bowls. Netball is the No. 1 female sport.

VISIT REPORT

My airfare was supplied FOC by Air Niugini. Many thanks to Dominic Kaumu.

Dates Wednesday 19 January - Sunday 23 January 2000
Flights Wednesday 19th PX4 Brisbane - Port Moresby (3 hours)
Sunday 23rd PX3 Port Moresby - Brisbane (3 hours)
Key Contacts

Scott Reid Koboni Bulldogs, founder of footy in Samoa
Thomas Gori President, PNG Rules Football Council
Veari Maha Chairman, PNG Cricket Board
Navu Maha Nominated AFL Development Officer counterpart
Colin Healey Umpires
Keith Lahui Sports Reporter, Post-Courier
Ekonia Peni Freelance Journalist, The National
James Maha Sports Reporter, Nau FM & Yumi FM
Tom Alau NBC Sports, National Broadcasting Corporation
Jacqueline Tarurue Reporter, Em TV

Visit Overview

The visit was designed to meet two purposes. Firstly to enhance the prospects for success of the combined IAFC/PNG Rules Football Council proposal for an AFL Development Officer by viewing facilities and meeting key football people.

Secondly to discuss a number of issues such as formation of a Pacific Rules Australian Football Council (PNG, Samoa, Nauru), the World Cup in Melbourne in 2002 and the inclusion of footy in the South Pacific Games in Fiji in 2003.

Upon arrival at the airport I was met by Scott Reid, with whom I was staying. That night I attended a welcome dinner at the Airways Hotel and met Veari Maha, Dominic Kaumu and Colin Healey.

Thursday was very busy with media interviews at Nau FM, Post-Courier, The National and Em TV. I also met with the PNG Sports Commission. That night I attended a meeting of the Koboni Bulldogs.

Friday morning was spent sightseeing before having lunch with Veari Maha and Colin Healey at Parliament House. It was a very good meeting. After lunch I did some more sightseeing, followed by the obligatory PNG nightlife tour with some of the players.

On Saturday I had more media commitments with NBC and Yumi FM. In the afternoon some of the players took me to a village before catching a boat to Loloata Island. It was a good opportunity to talk to Navu Maha and get his feedback on the position of AFL Development Officer Counterpart. That night I transferred accommodation to Colin’s place at the Australian High Commission.

On Sunday morning I inspected the facilities at the Colts ground and Amini Park. I also met with David Lucas, Treasurer of the PNG Rules Football Council. Colin took me to the airport to end what was a most positive visit.

Australian Football Report

Overview

At the outset please note that my observations were confined to Port Moresby as I did not have the time or funds to visit other regional centres. Despite this, much of the detail within this report can be attributed to these regions.

Administration

Australian football was the No. 1 sport in PNG in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s.

A lot of expats left after independence in 1975, including many players and people holding key administrative positions. According to Ekonia Peni that was the start of the decline of footy and everything has been ad hoc since then. Basically there was no transition. Peter Evans, who had been appointed by the AFL, left in the early 80’s. William Maha, who was based at the National Sports Institute in Goroka, then took over and by all accounts did a good job. But when he left everything collapsed.

Peter and William were full-time government employees. The current executive of the PNG Rules Football Council are also full-time employees of other organisations.

President Thomas Gori
Vice President Bernard Aka
Secretary Stanley Tavul
Treasurer David Lucas

There is a feeling, and one with which I concur, that PNG footy needs a full time administrator if it is to regain its No.1 status.

Whilst in PNG I met Bernard for the first time and caught up with David Lucas. I spoke to Thomas on the phone but did not get the opportunity to meet or speak to Stanley as he was away.

Thomas is based in Rabaul, with the others in Port Moresby. During my visit there were some grumblings that the President should be in the capital, although I don’t see this as a problem considering the rest of the executive reside there. There is also some discontent that Bernard, Stanley and David are all associated with Wests Football Club.

The Council Executive are elected at the annual AGM, which is held during the National Championships in October. Meetings of the Council are irregular, in fact David Lucas told me they meet once a year at the AGM!

If Rules football is to progress in PNG it is imperative that the Council meet at least once a month.

Likewise club administration is poor and needs to be improved dramatically. As a consequence it was pleasing to see the efforts of the Koboni Bulldogs, who are about to become the first footy club in PNG to have a constitution. I have attached copies of documents I was given at a meeting of the club as an example of the improvements that can be made in this most important of areas. As I was at pains to point out during my visit, having the best players and coaching in the league is of no value if your club administration is poor or non-existent.

The ASSA Level 1 Sports Administration course would be of immense benefit to PNG footy.

Finances

PNG Rules Football Council Treasurer David Lucas told me he had no idea of how much money the Council had. Further he told me that he had never seen the books.

This situation is obviously unacceptable and must be remedied prior to AFL funds being allocated to the Council.

Senior Competition

The footy season is from April to September (the Dry season). The cricket season is played in the Wet from October to March. I must admit to being surprised at this as the grounds are hard and dry in the Dry season (which suits cricket), but wet and lush in the Wet season (which suits footy but definitely not cricket). For these reasons footy in Darwin is played during the Wet and cricket in the Dry.

There is some talk of both sports swapping seasons but I was told this would be most unlikely. The locals tend to play what is being shown on TV at the time, so they would not play footy whilst cricket is being televised.

Their are senior competitions in Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen, Rabaul, Kimbe, Hoskins and Buka Island. Sadly the competitions in Goroka, Madang, Wewak and Bouganville no longer exist.

The competition in Port Moresby is known as NCD Rules and consists of 6 clubs. Each club also has a Reserves and Under 16 team.

Club Colours

Wests West Coast
Koboni Bulldogs Bulldogs
Defense Tigers
Koki Dockers Dockers
Moresby Crows Bombers
Tisa Bears Brisbane Bears

Junior Competition

Each Port Moresby club has an Under-16 team. There is no Primary School (Grades 1-8) also known as Community Schools, or High School (Grades 9-12) competition.

There is however a very popular competition amongst the International Schools, of which there are seven. These are Murray, Gordons, Port Moresby, Korobosea, Ela Beach, St. Josephs and Dame Mary Kekedo. These schools are attended by a mixture of expats and wealthy Papua New Guineans and cover Grades 1 to 12.

The International Schools competition is run by an expat, David Lucas. David is 27 and played for the Geelong Under 19’s. He represented PNG at the 1995 and 1997 Arafura Games and from 1996 to 1998 was based in Lae, where he was a Sports Director with the PNG Sports Commission. During his time with the Commission he ran some Aussie Footy clinics, which were very popular. He is currently the Sports Director at Murray International School.

The competition was run on Friday afternoons in Term 3 of the school year (July-September). Matches were played under 12 a side rules, with 4 x 10 minute quarters. The competition was won by Murray International School. David was assisted by Navu Maha.

David told me that the AFL has supplied seven sets of equipment to the International schools, consisting of 7 carry bags, 7 x 8 goal posts and 100 footys.

Further, Finance Pacific Limited provided a total of $K5,000 in sponsorship. Of these monies $K266 was spent on import duties. The rest is still available.

An excellent opportunity exists to re-establish footy as the No. 1 sport via the Pikinini Sports Program (pikinini means ‘child’). Similar to the Aussie Sports Program, it is sponsored by Coca-Cola and administered by the PNG Sports Commission, a statutory government body. Based in Port Moresby it has regional offices in Lae, Rabaul and Goroka.

The Commission is distinct from the Sports Federation, which is a non-government body that focuses on elite sports and events such as the South Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.

The Commission develops sports at the junior level through the following programs:

Trukai Youth Sports Rural areas & juniors outside schools
Milo Sports 3-4 day camps during school holidays (ages 6-25)
Pikinini Sports Grades 3-8 (ages 7 to 12)

The Pikinini Sports program includes the following modified sports: basketball, softball (T-ball), liklik cricket (Kanga cricket), tennis, volleyball, soccer and pukpuk rugby (union). The main emphasis is on skill development, fair play and respect for officials and opponents. To participate parents must provide written consent.

The Commission stages an annual expo for all Pikinini Sports. The expo consists of games, awards and encouragement and again the emphasis is not on winning.

I spoke to Moses Tolingling, one of the Commission’s Sports Development Officers. He is a former footy player and told me that rugby league has not done well at the junior level. Despite this junior rugby league is sponsored by Coca-Cola and is receiving $K450,000 over 3 years. Coke also sponsor cricket and netball.

Moses also advised that the Pikinini program has room for one more sport and that they would like to include Australian football. This sentiment was echoed by John Hou, who is the Acting Director, Program Manager, Sports.

The procedure involved is that the Commission requires a formal approach from the Rules Council. The Commission will then get approval to teach footy in the schools from the Education Department. In return the Commission will require technical assistance and footy equipment (e.g. balls and goalposts). A Trainers Workshop will also need to be organised to teach sports teachers and Commission Development Officers the basics so they can in turn teach the kids.

As there is over 100 primary schools in the Pikinini program throughout the country this is a golden opportunity and one which should not be missed.

Further, Colin Healey is the President of the Australian High Commission Social Club and has $7000 available for the purchase of junior footy equipment.

Elite Development

The Cairns Australian Football League (CAFL) has conducted coaching and umpiring clinics from time to time. Peter Beckwith has visited twice, as has John Ibrahim.

National Championships

The annual National Championships were revived in 1995 after a hiatus of four years. Results:

Year Location Champion

1995 Kimbe Lae
1996 Kimbe National Capital District
1997 Lae National Capital District
1998 Port Moresby National Capital District
1999 Kimbe National Capital District

The 2000 Championships are scheduled for Rabaul.

The 1999 National Championships were contested by eight teams: Lae, Mt Hagen, Rabaul, Kimbe, Hoskins, Buka Island and two from the National Capital District. Matches consisted of 2 x 20 minute halves, with the final consisting of 4 x 20 minute quarters.

Each team attending had to pay a $K300 affiliation fee. Not all teams could afford it so people such as Scott Reid ending up paying some of the fees.

A proposal was put to the Rules Council to stage the Championships in Kimbe (the No. 1 Aussie rules centre in PNG) for the next five years, but this was rejected despite being supported by the PNG government. No doubt there are arguments for and against, although having such continuity would certainly make it easier to attract sponsorship.

National Team

St. Kilda played Port Moresby in PNG in 1969 and the locals were soundly beaten. At the time the team was made up of 75%!e(MISSING)xpats and 25%!l(MISSING)ocals.

In 1973 an All Australian Aboriginal team, containing such greats as Syd Jackson, played PNG in PNG. PNG played them again in Canberra in 1974 and won both games. Apparently the VFL supported both matches.

In 1974 PNG travelled to Australia and played four games, winning two. Among their victories was a thrashing of South Melbourne’s reserves at the Lake Oval.

The national team played Nauru in PNG in 1974 and 1975, winning both games.

Also in 1975 and 1976 were visits by North Melbourne, no doubt courtesy of the vision of Barassi. PNG were thrashed in both games, despite the best efforts of the locals to get them sunburnt and unthirsty prior to kickoff.

PNG fielded a team in the Teal Cup in 1979.

A Gold Coast rep team visited PNG in 1985 and were defeated. PNG lost the return match on the Gold Coast the following year. That match was part of a Queensland tour. After narrow losses to Mackay and Rockhampton PNG defeated Southport.

PNG have also regularly sent a team to compete in the Queensland Country Championship involving the Gold Coast and Cairns, although they did not send a team in 1999.

The Arafura Games in Darwin have provided a good incentive for the players, with the PNG Mosquitoes winning all three gold medals so far in 1995, 1997 and 1999.

It is disappointing the Mosquitoes were unable to raise the necessary funds to play New Zealand in the curtain raiser to the Ansett Cup match in Wellington on January 29, 2000. However, considering the fact that many players are either unemployed or are receiving ridiculously low wages, coupled with the severe devaluation of the Kina, it is hardly surprising that the tour was cancelled. Given the above it is quite amazing that they are able to make the trip to Darwin and it is a credit to their passion for the game.

Scholarships

Given the links between the Cairns Australian Football League (CAFL) and PNG it is recommended that the feasibility of introducing a scholarship scheme be investigated. The aim would be to have at least one PNG player per CAFL club. The PNG Rules Football Council would provide the airfares and the CAFL would provide accommodation and employment. Perhaps the NTFL in Darwin is another possibility.

Aside from being a great incentive for the players it would be great exposure for PNG footy and contribute significantly to the increase in playing standard. More importantly, it would be an important first step to PNG players playing in the AFL.

Examples abound of players who have already played in Cairns. Overa Gibson is 26 and has played for the Koboni Bulldogs for 14 years, playing his first A grade game at the age of 15. In 1993 he played for the Manunda Hawks in Cairns, before representing PNG at the Arafura Games in 1995, 1997 and 1999, being named in the World Team on each occasion. An unemployed electrician, he told me he would love the opportunity to play in Darwin or Cairns. Overa is a 6’3 95kg centre half forward who can also play in the ruck and from what I saw at the Arafura Games this boy can play.

Another impressive player is Peter Meli. Peter is 26 and played his first footy in Bouganville at the age of ten. He represented PNG at the Arafura Games in 1997 and 1999, starring in the grand final by kicking 6 goals. Peter played for Trinity Beach in Cairns in 1998 and 1999, as well as doing some junior development work with Peter Beckwith and Navu Maha. He told me they provided accommodation and a job and he is hoping to return this year.

The potential is certainly there. Although Collingwood’s Mal Michael and North Melbourne’s Winis Imbi learnt their footy in Australia, in 1974 Veari Maha and Gimana Guma, known for his torpedo kick, trialled with South Melbourne. This was at a time when footy was the No. 1 sport in PNG.

Coach Development

There has been little work in this area. As an example, before the arrival of Scott Reid the playes at the Koboni Bulldogs did very basic drills such as kick to kick, often with just one or two footballs. Further, there is no structured coaching education program.

Umpires

Colin Healey is the only accredited field umpire in PNG. He has many years experience, including umpiring in the Diamond Valley and Eastern Districts leagues.

Colin is currently on a two year posting to Port Moresby and is due to leave in December 2000. He is with the Australian Army and is working with Police Communications whilst in PNG.

There is no Umpires Association and Colin is willing to run one. He met Peter Hanlon in Melbourne in December 1999 and was given some copies of the “AFL Umpiring” CD. Of more assistance however would be uniforms, whistles and flags for the goal umpires.

Uniforms are desperately needed as a means of increasing the professionalism of the umpires, as professionalism attracts respect. The supporters are normally very good, however, and respect for the umpires is generally not a problem. This is in marked contrast to rugby league, where the referees are regularly bashed. As a result league has lost a lot of their top-line referees.

Boundary umpires are a rarity as there are no boundary markings, in fact the crowd encroaching inside the fence usually marks the boundary. There are also no centre or goal square markings, although there is an uncovered concrete cricket pitch in the middle of the field.

I was told that another good umpire is Luke Nalo, a local based in Port Moresby. I didn’t get the chance to meet Luke, but as Colin is leaving in December he could be a good candidate to take over as Umpiring Coordinator.

It is recommended that a payment system be introduced to attract umpires. The current system is that teams that are not playing that day (footy is played on Saturdays and Sundays) are required to supply umpires and this has not worked. Given the high unemployment rate in PNG, the opportunity to earn a few Kina for a few hours work would be most attractive. The funds would come from sponsorship of the Umpires Association.

It is also important that umpires are rewarded for their efforts at major carnivals. Colin Healey spent a substantial amount of money on getting to Kimbe for the Nationals and on accommodation. After umpiring something like 25 out of the 30 games he was given $K50 for his efforts.

Facilities

In Port Moresby there are two main football fields: Colts and Amini Park. Both fields are situated in Boroko and are next to each other. Colts is the main football ground.

Both fields are fully sized grounds and have permanent goalposts, which are manufactured locally by Atlas Steel. There is minimal seating but that does not stop crowds of 2000 people watching regular season games. The 1999 Grand Final between Wests and Koboni, which was a draw, attracted a crowd of 5000.

There are other football grounds, such as the one I saw at the University of PNG. It is a fully sized ground and a very picturesque setting, but is sadly not used. The ground is in not too bad condition, although the weeds and the fridge situated in one of the pockets need to be removed. University used to have a team but this is no longer the case. With 2000 students surely NCD Rules can look at starting a team there. There is another decent footy ground at the Police Barracks.

Veari Maha showed me the plans for the redevelopment of Amini Park, which are included within this report. Amini Park was built as the cricket venue for the South Pacific Games in 1991. As an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council PNG compete in the ICC Trophy, which involves 24 countries. The winner of this tournament qualifies for the World Cup and PNG narrowly lost to Bangladesh to just miss out. So Amini Park is being redeveloped to take PNG cricket to the next level. At a cost of $K2.2 million the facility will include PNG’s first turf wicket, grandstand seating for 5,000 and floodlights.

As you can see by the plans, the aim is to redevelop Amini Park as a “Cricket & Aussie Rules Field”. There is also provision for the “Port Moresby Aussie Rules Chairman’s Office.” The aim is to commence construction in March 2000 and finish Stage 1 (the field and turf wicket) by mid-2001.

Veari told me the PNG Cricket Board are seeking a partner in this project and their preferred partner is Australian football. The AFL should not miss this chance to be involved in a world class facility in PNG. Not only will it be a massive boost to the code, it will potentially be able to host an Ansett Cup match. Ansett Cup matches are played in Darwin and Cairns so there is no reason why one couldn’t be held in Port Moresby. It would draw a massive crowd and deal a real body blow to the other football codes.

If Australian football does not seize this opportunity I have no doubt that one of the other football codes will.

Media Coverage

Media coverage of footy is excellent and my visit attracted a lot of attention. I was interviewed by the following:

Nau FM (96.5)
Yumi FM (93.1)
NBC AM
Em TV
Post-Courier
The National

Nau FM has been broadcasting since 1996 and is the most popular radio station in PNG. It broadcasts to the entire country in English. The station also broadcasts throughout the entire Pacific region.

Yumi FM is affiliated to Nau FM and is basically its Pidgin (known as Tok Pisin) equivalent. Its Sports Corner segment runs on Sundays from 10-11am.

The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) took over from the ABC at independence in 1975. It broadcasts throughout PNG and hosts NBC Sportsworld each Sunday.

Cable TV is available in Port Moresby and Lae and has approximately 30 channels, which include Channel 7. Unfortunately the $K60 per month cost puts it out of the reach of most residents. As a result they are unable to watch AFL matches on television.

Em TV is the local free to air station and is affiliated to Channel 9 in Australia. Papua New Guinean sport is heavily influenced by what is shown on TV, hence the popularity of Rugby League and Cricket. In fact League’s State of Origin is huge in PNG and has even led to TV sets being dumped in the sea, murders and family breakups. Em TV’s 30 minute news program is shown at 6pm.

There are two English national newspapers, the Post-Courier and The National. The Post-Courier has a website at www.postcourier.com.pg. There is also a Tok Pisin newspaper, Wantok.

Ekonia Peni is an extremely valuable media contact. He has been a journalist for 15 years and in March will complete his law degree at the University of PNG. Ekonia also studied at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji in 1993. Apart from freelance work with The National, Post Courier, NBC, FM100 and Yumi FM, Ekonia is Secretary and Media Co-ordinator of the Arafura Games Planning Committee. He is also the PNG correspondent for Radio Australia.

He was the Secretary of the Rules Council in 1994 and 1995. After being contacted by Darryl Window he organised PNG’s participation in the first international footy tournament in Darwin in 1995. Ekonia also played for the Mosquitoes in 1995 and 1997. He originally played for the Koboni Demons and founded the Koki Dockers. His playing career included a stint with Sydney University in 1988, where he was coached by Phil Manasa (ex-Collingwood).

AFL Development Officer Counterpart

I spent some time with Navu Maha, who was recommended by the Rules Council to be trained as the AFL Development Officer Counterpart. Navu is 25 and played a year in Cairns and worked in their Junior Development programme while playing for Trinity Beach. He is a top player having won the player of the Championships at the 1999 National Championships in Kimbe, and has been a regular National Rep for years. His father, Veari Maha, is the former Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office (the Deputy PM is in charge of Youth, Sport and Culture). Veari is also the Chairman of the PNG Cricket Council. Veari told me they are hoping to return to government in March.

Navu works for Pacific MMI Insurance and currently earns $K200 per week, which is the equivalent to $100AU. So the AFL would have to match or better that and I would recommend that a salary of $150AU per week would be appropriate. Navu is intelligent, loves his footy and is very keen to become the Counterpart.

Given the above I strongly endorse Navu as the person to be trained and take over when the AFL Development Officer returns to Australia.

Initial Assessment:

Strengths

1. Good playing numbers
2. High national profile
3. Naturally talented players
4. Close location to Australia
5. Strength of Australian dollar against the Kina

Weaknesses

1. Unstable political structure making planning difficult
2. Lack of safety (both perceived and real)
3. Poor administration

Initial Goals

1. Run ASSA Level 1 Sports Administration courses.
2. Include Australian football in the Pikinini Sports Program.
3. Create 5 year National Plan.
4. Form Umpires Association.
5. Begin Coach Education Program.
6. Improve playing conditions by ensuring fields are properly marked and concrete cricket pitches are covered.

CONCLUSION

An example of what can happen if a sport is neglected in PNG is baseball. It was very popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s but started to decline when the Americans reduced their presence. When it was discovered that softball was played at the South Pacific Games, but not baseball, the game was abandoned.

Australian football must not be allowed to suffer the same fate. Footy in PNG is not drowning but it will go under if the AFL does not throw it a lifeline. That lifeline is not cash as money is not the answer.

An AFL Development Officer will totally revitalise PNG footy and be the catalyst for the sport reclaiming its No. 1 status. Apart from improved standards in administration, umpiring, coaching and playing, having the AFL involved will give local sponsors (and supporters) the confidence to back PNG footy. But the time to act is now.

Brian Clarke
25th January 2000

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