Association keen to promote rural talents

By JEFFREY ELAPA
A RURAL soccer association in the Madang province is aiming to be a model rural sporting body in PNG to develop and promote rural talents.
The Wata Sports Association, a few kilometres away from Madang town, plan to build a sporting stadium in the near future.
The association, who started from a small boys’ village game on a 20m field, expanded to a full competition in 2006.
The 20m field was then expanded to one of the best sporting fields in a rural setting.
There are four teams comprising a junior division each who ended their season proper competition in October.
They are now trying to raise funds by holding competitions to register with the Madang Soccer Association.
So far, there were three grand finals since the association started and there are four teams and eight divisions in the competition.
The level of football shown by the players was outstanding compared some of the more organised and advantaged soccer clubs in the urban areas.
The boys showed exceptional football skills and were superb.
Some of them were better than those playing in the semi-professional National Soccer League competition.
Interim president Amon Cessey told The National that there were so many raw talents in the rural areas but there were no opportunities for them to play in organised games.
He said the establishment of the association was to fill that gap and engage youths to actively participate in games.
He added that there were law and order issues affecting the province because youths were not utilised in meaningful activities.
He said their villages were very supportive of the association and had been supporting them through fundraising activities.
Meanwhile, Cessey said most of them had no prior knowledge and experience in running an association but they were learning and slowly improving.