By SAMPSON BONAI
SIX soccer associations have confirmed their participation at the upcoming Highlands Regional Soccer Championships which will be held in Goroka in February next year.
PNGFA chief executive officer Dimrit Mileng said in a statement yesterday that the six centres are Chimbu, Mount Hagen, Wabag, Tabubil, Mendi and host Goroka who have met all the requirements and are qualified to take part in the championships.
“The championship is now postponed to February next year because some members had problems completing their soccer season as scheduled due to the 2007 national elections and also to allow clubs ample time to prepare for the championships,” Mileng said.
“Some members of the clubs were also involved in the PNG Games in Lae last month and that made it more difficult to host the championships.
“We had to postpone the regional championships to early next year to enable the clubs to prepare well to take part in the championships,” he said.
Mileng said all the clubs must get their teams list organised and submitted with photographs to the secretariat office in Lae by the end of this month for accreditation purposes.
He said the eligible clubs are Goroka (two men and two women), Mount Hagen (three men and two women), Chimbu, Wabag, Mendi and Tabubil have two men and two women clubs that have confirmed their participation.
The soccer chief further reminded all the clubs to submit the names of their respective clubs to the secretariat office by the end of this month.
A nomination fee of K330 per team must be paid into the host association (Goroka) account number 632417 at ANZ Bank in Goroka before the deadline on January 25.
In related developments the regional committee meeting that had been scheduled to be held in Goroka on Nov 8 had been deferred to Feb 8 at the same time as the championships.