11 associations chase national touch honours

By JACK AMI
ELEVEN associations will battle for the major honours in the National Touch Football open division championships in Goroka this weekend.
Touch Football PNG president Peter Bernard confirmed from Madang that national champions Corporate Touch Port Moresby will be out to defend the open men’s and women’s titles.
Bernard said the Lae Corporate  group would miss the event because the association was not ready as their competition had been shelved because of upgrading and developments progressing at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium.
He said others that would provide stiff opposition were Central, Madang, Port Moresby Industrial Touch, Arawa, Higaturu (Northern), Goroka country, Kainantu, Mimilon (Madang), Kimbe Batas and Namis. 
All these associations are affiliated members of TFPNG and eligible to take part in the championship.
He said the men’s open division would be divided into two pools, while the open women’s and mixed would have a round robin format.
The open men’s pool winners qualify for the semi-finals on Saturday and grand final on Sunday.
Bernard said the Goroka tournament would be used to trim the men’s and women’s training squads selected last year for the Malaysia Games in June and another lead-up to Niue in October.
The international events are in preparation for the World Cup in Scotland later this year and the 2015 Pacific Games in PNG.
He said players who were selected in the training squad last year had to prove their standard to secure one of the 14 spots in the teams.