Naipao queries Southern Confederate affiliates’ eligibility

The National Sports

PORT Moresby Rugby League chairman Dr James Naipao has questioned why leagues in the Southern Confederation were given the eligibility to attend the PNGRFL annual general meeting despite not meeting certain requirement.
Naipao was disappointed that quiet a number of leagues in the Southern Confederation were liabilities owing monies for players and officials registration fees.
“This is really alarming and also unfair to those league that comply to all the PNGRFL requirements,” he said.
PNGRFL administration must stringently do vetting for all confederations so that the only leagues that qualify must attend the election AGM on March 28.
“The decision at the 11th hour on March 7 by PNGRFL to defer the elective AGM to the March 28 was right and timely,” he said.
“Therefore, PNGRFL administration must do a sound vetting and screening process to qualify and quantify the eligibility of each league before the postponed PNGRFL elective AGM is held.
“If the vetting process is not done by PNGRFL, then, the election AGM should be postponed for another 12 months.
“PNGRFL’s headquarters in the last six years has credentially grown with recognition and participation at the international arena and the Oceania region.
“It did not blossom out of the blue overnight. The people involved in the board and administration of PNGRFL headquarters definitely have the educational qualification, administrative experience and the rugby league savvy to achieve this exponential growth and milestones achieved in rugby league thus far. They ought to be congratulated for that.
“Now that PNGRFL headquarters has amassed its growth so far with a distinction, the confederations around the country and its affiliates to PNGRFL must develop themselves, and administratively get their house in order.”
Naipao said PNGRFL needed to step in to assist local leagues grow too. A simple K500 affiliation fee did not need to be a “dogma” in attending a PNGRFL AGM.
He said in order for any league to qualify for PNGRFL-sanctioned activities including the AGM, it must:

  • Pay its affiliation fee;
  • Finish season’s competition;
  • All players, league officials, referees and administration staff in a league must all pay a K50 registration fee, respectively before the due date. Those leagues that have not paid this to PNGRFL via the confederations do not qualify to attend to PNGRFL-sanctioned activities;
  • End of season AGM for each league and confederations must be held before the PNGRFL AGM;
  • Each league must present its own season’s report to its delegates which must comprise a president’s report, football season’s report which includes the judiciary report, and an audited financial report of the league.

Together with these and the minutes of the AGM, the final report is then given to its confederate and PNGRFL;

  • Those leagues due to conduct elective AGMs must conduct them and when this done, it will give credibility to the league. If this has been delayed or deferred, then it must be endorsed in its AGM and minuted as a true record;
  • Any PNGRFL or local league judiciary matters that has suspended or banned people in rugby league must not stand for any honorary positions in rugby league, and/or they must be cleared before they stand for a public office in rugby league; and,
  • Civil judiciary matters before the courts, and a person who is implicated must not stand for a public office in rugby league, and/or, the person must be cleared before the person stands for a public office.

Naipao said all league officials held honorary positions and they had been entrusted by clubs and leagues to ensure competitions were run prudently and the governed well at all times.
“Once this is done it will earn the trust and support of the corporate sector that will continue to flow into our local leagues, at the confederation and PNGRFL level,” Naipao said.