Hula eyes inclusion

By ROBINSON LEKA
HULA is eyeing inclusion in the Port Moresby AFL (POMAFL) competition from next season following the establishment of a new club for the village in Central on Saturday.
Ian Augerea, community leader and registrar of the national and supreme courts, announced the establishment of the Alavana Swans after the staging of POMAFL friendlies in Hula.
“We will be registering our village club in the Port Moresby competition next year, the Alavana Swans,” he said.
“We’re now going to plan and put in place our club management.
“We will encourage our villagers to join us as the club’s aim is to keep youths out of trouble by involving them with sports.
“This approach also helps develop our community.
“Once we get our youths into sports, they’ll focus on achieving greater things by committing to their goals.
“This is an opportunity for players to gain exposure for better things to come their way. Since the idea of bringing friendlies to Hula was announced, a lot of village youths had shown interest.
“A lot of them had enquired about joining a team for the friendlies.
“So we’ve now committed to restoring the lost pride of Hula in the sport. We’re keen on reviving AFL.”
Augerea and former AFL player Elias Walo have expressed their interest to help revive the sport in Hula.
Central villages Kalo and Keapara have established themselves through POMAFL club Koboni.