| Sports |
Besta backs Madang NSL franchise
By HENRY MORABANG
INTERNATIONAL Food Corporation (IFC) through its number one
brand tinned fish, Besta, has offered K50,000 as partnership
package to sponsor Madang team in this year’s National Soccer
League (NSL) competition.
The Lae-based company beat Madang’s very own, RD Tuna, the
produce of Diana tinned fish to back the Madang-based soccer
team.
Besta has come forward and wants to work in partnership in
taking soccer into another level by offering K50,000 and asking
Madang-based company to chip in K25,000 for the NSL nomination
fee.
The chairman of NSL John Kapi-Natto was delighted with the
outcome of the negotiation and was pleased that Besta stepped
forward to bail out Madang representative team out of its
financial woes.
The initial franchise owner of the Madang Fox team was the then
Madang Open MP Alois Kingsley. Although Kingsley had indicated
that despite his election loss this year, his support for the
Madang Fox would continue, time has run out on NSL organisers
and the Lae-based company has been invited to take over the
Madang franchise.
NSL chairman, John Kapi-Natto said at the weekend that Madang
must have a team in the semi-professional competition because of
the huge soccer following and the standard of the game is high
there.
“We have a huge following for soccer in Madang and the crowd
numbers are always big so we must have a franchise there,”
Kapi-Natto said.
Besta is coming in time when Madang franchise is really
desperate for sponsorship and it is high time a company come
forward to be the minor sponsor.
Kapi-Natto said it is about time Madang people should support
Besta who has tried to support their team in their favourite
sports – soccer.
He thanked IFC managing director Azi and marketing manager
Rosland for agreeing to terms to support Madang.
Kapi-Natto said Madang franchise just complete the incomplete
NSL puzzle which saw three teams from Port Moresby and one team
from Lae and Mount Hagen in this year’s competition.
The three teams in Port Moresby are Hekari United (formerly PRK
Souths), Gelle Hills and Inspac Rapatona, while others are
Welgris Highlanders and Morobe Kumuls which is backed by Tuguba
Laitepo.
Kapi-Natto said he was really excited when Inspac Rapatona join
the wagon as it would really create some rivalry in the
competition especially with Hekari United will recruit bulk of
its player from PRK Souths in the Port Moresby competition.
He said NSL board have already appointed its representative in
Madang, Chris Papiali who will coordinate NSL activities with
the assistance from Pius Bokorum, Tweedy Malagian and Bonny
Pongo.
Kapi-Natto said Papiali is expected to announce its Madang
franchise management soon once everything are in place.
He also expressed disappointment that after much publicity of
Lae’s Minape Kundus, there is no formal word from its sponsor
Mathew Minape on whether he still interested in entering a team.
The NSL prize money is as follows K50,000 for first place
getter, the runner-up with K25,000, third place winner will
collect K15,000 and the fourth sport will walk away with
K10,000.
The competition is expected to kick of in Nov 3 while all NSL
clubs have until October to furnish all their registration forms
to NSL secretariat in Port Moresby. The venues of the NSL
matches would be National Sports Institute in Goroka, Laiwaden
Oval in Madang and Lae venues is yet to be decided while Telikom
Park in Port Moresby will host the Port Moresby games.
 
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