Abau league gets backing from authority

By ISAAC LIRI
CENTRAL’S Abau District Development Authority has committed a total of K150, 000 to associations of the newly established Marshall Lagoon Rugby League.
The funding would be made available through the auspices of local MP Sir Puka Temu, pictured, according to Abau district chief executive Terence Tararau, who announced this during the league’s launching at the Kupiano station recently.
The three affiliates of the MLRFL, Aroma Coast, Cloudy Bay and Marshall Lagoon are expected to receive K50,000 each — they have already received K10,000 to set up their leagues.
Tararau said the money would be used by the affiliations to open their accounts, manage their affairs and get registered under the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League’s Southern Confederation and participate actively into the future.
“Abau is making sport one of its priorities and it wants to see all codes played here,” Tararau said.
“In Abau, most of our young men love rugby league and that’s evident. That’s why our MP, Sir Puka Temu, has ensured us that funding will be made available.
“We want to help young men from Abau represent us at the national level, like the PNG Hunters or the Kumuls.”
Tararau acknowledged Central Dabari bid team coach Chris Enara, from the Aroma Coast, as an instrumental figure in setting up affiliations in the district.
Tararau said that the next league which they plan to see launched was the Amazon Bay.
“So we are going to all our local-level governments to set up associations and then we will encourage the Southern Confederation to identify talent here,” Tararau said.
Enara said he had asked the Abau district to use someof the K150,000 and use it to set up a league in the Amazon Bay area so it could affiliate as well.