World Footy News

There is so much happening in PNG football that at times it gets hard to cover it in full. As such here is a brief rundown of some of the things happening within the country. Really, it represents an amazing growth in the sport when so many of their finest players are already in Australia playing footy!

Some of the highlights include structured footy kicking off in a new province, junior growth in Port Moresby and Lae, and the AFL Academy.

Expansion into Enga Province

AFLPNG has expanded into the Enga Province in the Highlands. The Highlands Lutheran International School, two hours drive from Mt Hagen, were introduced to AFL football led by AFLPNG Highlands development officer Moses Kar.

Schoolchildren as young as four, took part in a day of activities and games, thoroughly enjoying the events. As part of the AFLPNG’s development program, the expansion to the Enga Province is vital to the growth of the sport, and the development of the local communities.

AFLPNG manager Walter Yangomina said that AFLPNG hopes to give Enga children the opportunity to play AFL football. “We are trying to cast a net wide enough to reach everyone,” Yangomina said. “There are a lot of quality Enga kids coming through based in Hagen, POM and Lae and we are trying to give everyone an opportunity.”

The talent on display at the Highlands Lutheran International School highlighted the importance on branching the AFL further throughout PNG. “Peter Labi descends from Enga and now plays in Australia, so we think there are opportunities for the kids from these provinces to follow in his footsteps,” Yangomina concluded. AFLPNG has development plans for further expansion throughout PNG in the near future.

Lae Juniors really flocking to AFL competitions

MORE than 1400 children will be involved in the Aussie Rules junior development competition in Lae this year. These children are aiming to emulate the success of their predecessors Peter Labi, Nathan Malbak and Naime Gordon who are playing, or on scholarship with clubs in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Labi, the son of the Momase police commander, is on the international rookies list for the Carlton Football Club in the tough AFL competition. The Blues picked him through AFL-PNG’s development programs and pathways.

Labi is playing for the Blues in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Malbak, son of another policeman, is attached to the Richmond Tigers Academy while Gordon is with Norths in Brisbane. These three young athletes came through the junior development programs in Lae, the program that is now attracting more than 1400 school children throughout Lae City.

AFL PNG’s Northern region development manager Cornelius Papau said the Lae school children both male and female have recently gathered on the Eriku oval to compete in the U12, U13, U15 and U18 divisions. The girls competed in the U13s, U15s and U18s while the boys’ competition was for the U12s, U13s, U15s and U18s. He said children from the City Mission Orphanage in Lae also competed as the CT Kings in the U12s and 13s for the boys and U13 for the girls. He said there was 52 school teams, an increase of six teams from last year.

Papau said not only the schools and the children will get to play in the competition, they will also be educated on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS and others issues that are affecting young people. He said the program was extended to Salamaua last year and they will go back there again. “We are also looking to extend the program to Markham and Madang,” he said.

“We are keen and confident that we will unearth another Peter, Nathan or Naime and that will be very soon because we have 10 boys in PNG U14 team that will be travelling to Australia soon,” he said. He said previously, Port Moresby dominated the PNG junior teams but Lae is competing with Port Moresby for places and it is a very encouraging sign.

Junior Footy kicks off in the National Capital District (Port Moresby)

JUNIOR FOOTBALL has kicked off for both boys and girls at the Colts, Ken Lifu and Murray Barracks Ovals in Port Moresby. The increasing popularity of the AFL in PNG was displayed with generous turnouts of kids from all age groups in the nation’s capital. The junior boys played a high quality brand of football, displaying strong hands, quick feet and efficient kicking. This natural talent shown by kids as young as 12 looks set to strengthen the Talent Pathway already instilled within AFLPNG.

People also flocked to the Murray Barracks Oval on Saturday morning to watch the large number of girls participating in the sport. The skill displayed in the girls competition has heightened many expectations of the female competition, with a realistic ambition to become the world’s best in female AFL football.

With a long season ahead, the involvement and development of the participants is the greatest challenge.

THE AFL ACADEMY in PNG THE AFL ACADEMY in PNG is hosting 16 highly talented youngsters in the Nation’s Capital as part of the Talent Pathway program. Monitored by Senior Football guru Pint Kar, the boys are housed and trained in Port Moresby.

In what is an established program, The AFL Talent Pathway offers every opportunity for young Papua New Guineans to achieve their dreams and ambitions. From the AFL Academy the boys have every chance to play football in Queensland representing their country at the State Championships.

The Australian underage championships also encourage involvement from the Pacific nations, with a Pacific side competing against the best Australian youngsters. In what is a positive sign for AFLPNG, the Pacific side in this year’s Australian Championships is dominated by Papua New Guinea lads.