Hockey meet in Lae

By GABRIEL LAHOC
LAE city will come alive this week with the Digicel National Hockey Championship starting on Friday following a K10,000 sponsorship.
Development clinics conducted this week will complement the event with eight centres expected to face off.
Major sponsor Digicel PNG represented by regional area manager Cameron Hebley confirmed the sponsorship as the biggest by the mobile phone service provider to hockey.
“Sport is a huge part of the culture here in PNG, and Digicel is proud to support this event especially with the communities’ involvement, we are happy to give back,” Hebley said during the cheque presentation yesterday at the Lae hockey oval.
Lae Hockey Association president Martin Raurela welcomed the  sponsorship describing it as “the biggest sponsorship for a long time to hockey alone”.
He said the money would be used to host the event as well as to finance its outreach programmes.
The championship which was last hosted by the Madang Hockey Association, has attract smaller centres in the districts like Angoram (East Sepik) and Gabensis in Morobe’s Huon Gulf district whose presence at this event will be testimony to the growth of the game into rural communities.
Apart from the local corporate support from Digicel the event has attracted international interest as well.
Oceania Hockey Federation officer Jill Geming is in Lae running the clinics while Barry Volen of Queensland Hockey will also attend the championship.