Hekari to select players from programme

By PATRICIA KEAMO
HEKARI United will select junior footballers from their school of excellence programme to join the National Soccer League Club’s academy this month, says franchise manager Vonnie Kapi Natto.
She said this would see the academy players undergo extensive football training.
The names of those players will be announced in due course as well as the coaches, some of whom are senior Hekari players.
“We had been running the school of excellence programme for children until early last month when we had a mini carnival for them,” Kapi Natto said.
“Our programme is all about teaching kids the basics of football while the academy is where elite players are being coached on the specifics of the sport.
“I’d like to advise parents that we will release the names (of those who will join the academy) this week.
“We will not allow anyone into the academy apart from those on the list. “It’s strictly for those who have been consistent throughout the programme.”
Veteran Hekari skipper David Muta said they were passionate about nurturing footballers at an early age.
“We’ve been training kids with an eye on improving the level of football in the country by teaching them the basics, so they will know what to do when they are on the field,” he said.
“Training them at a young age will help them become the future of football in Papua New Guinea and take the country to a World Cup someday.
“We will retire one day, so we have to pass on our skills to young footballers.”
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of participants in the area of goalkeeping, which is a new inclusion to the programme, under coach and former Hekari No.1 Godfrey Baniau.
The school of excellence programme is held on Saturdays at Port Moresby’s Sir Hubert Murray Stadium.