Profile of Papua New Guinea Football Association

Profile introduction

Papua New Guinea Football Association Inc. (PNGFA) was established in 1962 and was very much based on an amateur approach. Since its establishment all operations were geared around member association affiliation around the country. Local competitions around the country were established by volunteer and interested individuals as part of a weekend recreational activity.

PNGFA is a founding member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and currently is a member among 10 other Pacific Island countries. It became member of the World Football Body (FIFA) in 1965.

Our current member associations, identified in two categories: full membership and provisional memberships stands at 22 and 12 respectively. However there is a significant interest shown around the country, of new associations wanting to become members. On record with the playing population around the country of registered players, there is just over 26 000. This figure includes seniors, youths, women and schoolchildren.

Structure

The PNGFA Structure depicts the Organizational structure of the Organization. At the helm of the structure is the Congress, which is the body responsible for approval or otherwise of any changes that may occur in the Constitutions of PNGFA.

Congress is a body made up of the Affiliated Members of PNGFA. Our current membership stands at 22 and another 12 provisional (12 members who do not have voting rights). However, these 12 members have the right to participate in any PNGFA sanctioned activities.

The Executive Committee has the responsibility to making sure the decisions of the Congress are implemented through and by the Secretariat. The president of the Executive (Chairman) Committee is the immediate supervisor of the secretariat office.

A General Secretary or Chief Executive Officer heads the secretariat office. The main activities of the secretariat are to making sure the decisions of the Congress are implemented in the best interest of football development. The secretariat is the link between members, OFC, FIFA and other interested stakeholders in the development of the world game.

Member Associations

Member Associations continue to operate much as an amateur organization, with those at the helm of the associations act out of interest on volunteer basis. PNGFA through the secretariat office has very minimal control mechanism in the operations of the member associations. The only control mechanism is through the regulations and requirements of the Constitutions.

Member associations operate their own competitions and do not report to the secretariat directly. Only exceptions for reporting are based on the interpretations of the Constitutions, when there are problems. This does not imply that the secretariat office does not have an open dialogue with the members.

All member associations have the right to participate in any PNGFA sanctioned activities, such as regional tournaments, national championships, coaching and referee courses, and having the players selected for representational duties overseas. Since the current executives of PNGFA took office, member associations have enjoyed immense participation, though with limited resources.

The secretariat office views this situation of having minimal control or say in the operations of the member association as detrimental to development of the game. We anticipate with the recent election of new executive committee and adoption of a new constitution, few new initiatives to alleviate this situation are likely to take place.

Secretariat

The current staff on strength at the secretariat office is based on professionalizing the sport and bringing the game to higher level. We are unable to employ a full strength staff but our current staff includes; a General Secretary, Operations Manager, Accounts Officer, Acting Technical Director, Facility Officer, Media and Marketing Officer, IT and Information Officer,  Development Officers (x 4), and Security Guards (x 4), Ground men and Cleaners (x 5).

Situation Analysis

Football in Papua New Guinea has lagged behind other neighboring Oceania countries in the last two decades, and this has been reflected in its world ranking as well as that of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Obviously this needs to be turned around so that PNG is among the top four countries in the pacific and Oceania.

Since 2000, with significant support from FIFA through OFC, there have been some major improvements, the most significant being having its own office and national training academy, and full time staff funded by FIFA. However, PNG still has a lot to implement in order to improve its ranking.

There are many contributing factors, of which the following are considered as major factors:

Geographical diversity: PNG has such a rugged terrain that air transport is the major form of passenger transport. While there are major roads, the conditions are relatively poor. Air travel is very costly in PNG. This as well as a general high cost of services in the country makes it very costly for PNGFA operations and programs;

Lack of proper development plans: There has been a lack of proper development plans over the years. It has only been of late that some planning has been put together through the Gold Project. This new plan is effectively PNGFA developed as a result of the Win Oceania for Ocean Program. We envisage that this will set the foundation for more guided development.

Lack of full-time employees: This has been a major constraint to football development in PNG in all aspects, most notably at the technical level. PNGFA has not had full time coaches or instructor, referees or development officers to develop football in PNG. In addition to that a lack of full time management, or lack of quality, has made it difficult to manage the development of football as well. It was recently through FIFA support that full time officers are now being engaged. Full time officers in technical as well as in management are needed to really develop football in PNG.

Lack of technical people: Despite various support by FIFA and OFC in the last decade, and by other Member Association such as the Australian Football Association and German Football Association, there are very few highly qualified technical Papua New Guineans in coaching and refereeing. As a consequence the standard of football in the country has deteriorated in the last decade resulting in poor performance at the international level as well. It is hoped that this program will increase the number of technical people and hopefully by 2010, PNG will have a thriving and able technical foundation for football.

As eluded earlier, in the last few years, with financial and technical support from FIFA, PNG has had some significant improvement in raising the management and standard of football. The OFC also sees PNG as a major partner in the development of football in the region and its importance in the sustenance of OFC as a confederation, given that PNG apart from NZ, is the most populated country in the Pacific. In that respect, OFC has also placed greater emphasis on the development of football in PNG, technically as well as financially. 

In light of that PNGFA has developed this development program for the next four years commencing this years and to continue for the next four years. It is some what tied around the ‘Win Oceania for Oceania Programme’ and is intended to be resourced from the OFC program.

Development framework

The framework is based on “results based management approach”. Under each development category of priority to PNG, an outcome (overall results) is set which provides the target that PNGFA intends to achieve. To achieve that, specific strategies and inputs are identified and a time line is laid out for its implementation. 

PNGFA has identified the following development categories as priority for PNG:

Technical development:In terms of coaches and referees, and instructors, PNG is lagging way behind other pacific countries. PNG has no accredited coaches or coaching instructors with two people trained in the last two years considered not suitable at the FIFA organized Futuro courses. This is considered to be the most critical area and of high priority. Under this program PNGFA plans to have as many as possible (more than 500) junior coaching certificate holders by the end of 2008. The strategy is to roll out as many junior and youth coaches as possible in the next four years, simultaneously identify, and develop candidates for the senior certificates and instructor accreditation. It is planned that by 2010, PNGFA would have at least 1000 certified coaches and several coaching instructors. Similar results are also being targeted in the referees.

Community football: Community football has been the mainstay of PNG soccer primarily through clubs. Whilst it is popular among children at the younger age groups, the level of participation has been decreasing from competition from other sporting codes. If PNG is to have a good base for its more serious senior competition it will need to at the very years of childhood make the child interested and crazy about football. Grassroots football is the way to go for PNG as many of our younger populations are in the rural areas.

In additional to its role in football, PNGFA also has a corporate social responsibility to society and through soccer, it will strive to impart healthy life style and education messages and behavior through community football. It is planned that more than 40,000 kids will be participating in the grass roots program by 2010.

Elite programs: This entails the identification of talented players and their development to a play at representative levels, and as professionals. It also includes development of coaches to higher accreditation levels.

Marketing and media: Football is not longer just a sport; it is a commercial as well as an entertainment product that needs to be marketed well if it is to be competitive and saleable to the public. PNGFA would need to be very strong in marketing if the NSL is to be successful and if it is to be recognized as a good and socially responsible agency. Its media relations will need to be effective in order to promote its programs, especially the community-oriented programs, and to maintain it partnership with donors, sponsors and the Government. PNGFA is quite serious and plans to engage full time marketing and media personnel.

Competition structure: If PNG is to be competitive at the international arena, it will need to revise its competition structure and professional football. The game is being professionalized in PNG with the introduction of the professional league in 2006. And to make this league the top league in the country, it would need to create an environment that is conducive to making the NSL the highest league and competition in PNG where players will strive to play at. PNGFA will also need to revisit its amateur league structure, as it is at this level that players start and progress up the levels. PNGFA through this development plan has decided that the champions of the NSL will represent PNG in the O-league as of 2008. PNGFA plans to have 8 franchise clubs located strategically across the country by 2010. Regulations on registration and transfer of players will also be revised to provide the enabling environment.

Women's football: PNG is among the top countries in women’s football and plans to maintain that. The current competition structure at the MA level and at the national level does not promote the development of young women players. PNG is at the cross road of seeing the old generation fading with very few players rising up in the new generation. To address this, PNGFA is making it mandatory for all MAs to have by 2010 a women’s youth competition. Failing that MAs will be sanctioned. In addition to that MAs without a women’s competition will not be eligible to participate in a new National under 20 Championship to be introduced in 2008.

Facilities development:There is no international pitch owned by PNGFA that can cater for international football matches and tournaments. Consequently, PNGFA has had difficulties hosting international matches. In addition to that most MAs do not have pitches of their own and consequently have to hire pitches, which are usually not of high standard, resulting in poor standard of games. In the next four years PNGFA together with the MAs will strive to have an international playing pitch based in Port Moresby and several high standard pitches through out the country owned and managed by the MAs.

Professionalizing football:It is obvious that the PNGFA Secretariat does not have the human resource capacity to effectively and efficiently carry out its functions. With increased community development programs coming on stream, the Oceania O-League, and the countries own professional league, it is critical that the secretariat has the capacity to implement these programs, and to do that the PNGFA Secretariat needs to be boosted with relevant personnel to professionalize football by 2010. In the next four years, PNGFA will be revising its organization structure, and subsequently functions, and more importantly shifting its HQ from Lae to Port Moresby, as this is where all the National Government, Private sector, and international community offices are located.

Papua New Guinea has never been short on playing numbers with a population bigger than New Zealand. But its developing status and the geographical challenges of the country continue to prove an obstacle for football development.

The focus in the past has mostly been regionalised with no recognized national league. An annual national club championship and a national association cup are the only competitions which keep the numerous Papua New Guinea Football Association affiliates in touch during the season.

The inauguration of the new PNGFA headquarters and national football academy in Lae last year has been a tremendous boost for the game and this has now made it possible for operations to be centralized thus allowing activities to be coordinated more successfully. The new base for PNG football passed its first big test in late 2003 when it coordinated the national club championship which was a huge logistical challenge, but one which was met.

Since the 2002 OFC Nations Cup, the PNGFA has steadily begun rebuilding by introducing youngsters through various national age group squads. While the results have not been all that desirable, the gradual learning curve and exposure will help create an experienced national team by the time of the OFC Nations Cup/World Cup Qualifiers in May. The team will be made up mostly from the national squad which went to the South Pacific Games and also from the recent Olympic men's qualifiers.

The PNGFA also looked to gain more experience to top level football for its elite players by sending them overseas. National reps Reginald Davani and Desmond Sow went to New Zealand with Davani appearing in the New Zealand national league in 2003. His younger brother Alex is based in Australia and was a standout for PNG in the national U-23 and U-20 sides.

Perhaps the real success over the past two years has been in the development of women's soccer. Port Moresby is where the strength of the women's code currently resides. But at last year's national women's club championship there was evidence the balance of power was becoming more even with good performances from clubs representing other associations.

PNG was the top placed island nation at the 2003 OFC Women's World Cup Qualifiers and also won the gold medal at the South Pacific Games.

The 2007 OFC Women's World Cup Qualifiers was hosted by PNG in Lae and PNG lost to New Zealand in the grand final.

PNG women also lost to New Zealand in the 2008 OFC Women's Olympics Qualifier in PNG. This was straight after winning and defending the gold medal in the SPG by the women in Samoa.

The introduction of the National Soccer League (NSL) in PNG has broadened and widened the eyes of footballs by experiencing a higher level of competition that gave them players more changes for overseas exposure. NSL has paved the pathway for PNG players to become more professionals. So far five players - Kema Jack and David Muta of Hekari Souths United have contracted to play for Sunshine Coast FC in the Queensland state League and Ila Ilaitia and Tau Winnie of Gelle Hills FC have been contracted to play for Redland Devils FC in the same league in Queensland, Australia.

There are more chances and a better future for PNG through the National Soccer League.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
National Soccer League games statistics and results