By SAMPSON BONAI
PNG Football Association member associations have been urged to select a coach and the Under 23 players are reminded to attend a selection trial camp at the PNGFA soccer academy in Lae on Jan 22-25.
A national Under 23 squad will be selected after the trial camp to represent PNG at the Olympic Qualifying tournament for men that will be held on March 2-15 in Fiji.
PNGFA general secretary Dimrit Mileng said in a statement yesterday that PNG Football Association had been nominated to participate in the Under 23 Olympic Qualifying tournament.
“We will be sending an Under 23 national team to take part in the qualifying tournament and a selection trial camp will be held onJanuary 22-25 at the PNGFA Academy,” Mileng said.
“The association will be responsible for meeting the cost of sending in their players to the academy in Lae and PNGFA will be responsible for sending them back after the trial camp,” he said.
“Member associations have been informed of the criteria required during the trail camp as a selection trial camp panel coaches will based the selection on the required criteria. These include minimum height, speed, agility and suppleness, recovery rate and football endurance, football tactics and individual ball skills.”
Mileng said that it was also very important that the age category of a player who will turn 19 and 21 years old respectively in 2008 must be taken into account.