Kumuls sign up insurer

Sports

By MELTON PAIS
THE Papua New Guinea Rugby league yesterday announced the PNG Health Assurance as the major platinum sponsor of the Team Kumul programme.
Both parties signed a memorandum of understanding with PNGRFL chairman Sandis Tsaka saying it was the first time an insurance company had came on board to support the Kumuls.
Tsaka, on behalf of PNGRFL, the current partners and sponsors, the affiliate leagues nationwide and the fans of the Kumuls, welcomed the company who would be a major sponsor — second to National Gaming Control Board — of the national rugby league team over the next five years.
“Today we signed a MOU to commence the partnership arrangements which will lead to what will officially be a contract between PHA and PNGRFL which will be signed in the next few weeks and that will benefit our Team Kumuls programme over the next five years,” Tsaka said.
“This sponsorship is important because, leading up to the 2021 World Cup in England, we need credible partners to come on board and support our young men.
“Our performances at the last 2017 World Cup here in PNG were memorable.
“I think it was the best performance ever by a PNG team on the world stage. We made the quarterfinals that earned us to entry to the 2021 World Cup again.
“Over the last few years, the Kumuls performance have dramatically, the Kumuls won seven of nine international matches and they still have about four more matches this year and some more over the next few years in the lead up to the World Cup in England.
“Therefore, to have PHA come on board not only as major sponsor but primarily as the insurance company to cover the players, coaching and management staff is a great boost.”
Tsaka said the MOU signing showed fans and public that the Kumuls were being managed in professional manner in keeping with the world’s top teams.
“Rugby league is the national sport and Kumuls are the country’s number one sporting brand and kids throughout the country grow up dreaming of playing for PNG and we will ensure that PHA gets value out of the investment they have made,” Tsaka said.
PNGRFL chief executive Reatau Rau said PHA partnership with the Kumuls came as a result of the recently concluded Apec meeting in Port Moresby.
“The PNG LNG Kumuls carried the APEC logo on its jerseys at all its international matches during 2018,” Rau said.
“This was PNGRFL’s contribution towards promoting this very important meeting in PNG to the world.
“The consultation with PHA started during the Apec CEO’s meeting and this partnership can be seen as a benefit of Apec to the sport of rugby league and people of PNG,” Rau said.
PHA executive director Pradeep Soni said: “We see this partnership as a combination of the power of sports with insurance that has the ability to transform the daily lives of PNG citizens.
“We value being a major sponsor of the Kumuls and the number one sport of PNG.
“This fits in well with our aspirational goal of being the number one insurer in PNG within the next two years.
“This partnership came about as a direct result of a meeting at the APEC CEO summit with Reatau Rau and the investors of PHA, culminating in the signing of the MOU.”
PHA is a general insurer focused on health care, personal accident and workers compensation products and after signing the formal agreement next month they will become the insurance partner of the PNGRFL.