Juniors impress Stokes
The National, Friday May 30th, 2014
Deborah Stokes, the Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, was amazed at the skill level of the Under-12 players after watching the first match between Waigani and Gerehu Primary during a ceremony held at the Murray Barracks oval on Saturday.
“Absolutely impressive” Stokes said. “Just sitting here and watching the kids play and I can say, you are truly impressive.
“I congratulate the AFLPNG management, trainers and whoever is in charge of the training of these kids.”
“AFL has a great following in Australia and the skill level of these kids is a great reflection of the history of PNG and Australia. It is fantastic to see that Australia’s home-grown style of football is increasingly popular in PNG,” Stokes added.
Stokes was on hand to present a K20,000 grant under the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP) funded by AusAID.
The grant is to develop AFL in Gulf.
The event also coincided with the official kickoff for Australia Week which begins this week.
Australia Week highlights modern Australian culture and connects young Papua New Guineans with Australia to support leadership, discussion and creative partnerships