NSL to begin season in Jan

By HENRY MORABANG
THE Telikom National Soccer League will recommence its next season two months later than usual. 
The country’s premier soccer competition will now begin January and not November.
This follows the new format approved and announced by the region’s football governing body, the Oceania Football Confederation recently.
Vice-president and chairman of the National Soccer League board John Kapi Natto announced this during the trophy presentation of the 2011-12 NSL grand final won 3-0 by Hekari at the Lloyd Robson Oval on Saturday.
Kapi Natto said the new season would commence next  January and end in May while the O-League season would be from July to August.
Their reasons for rescheduling include the marketing of football in Oceania region.
This is an off-season for major confederations such as UEFA (Europe), Concacaf (North and Central America and Caribbean), Asia and Africa.
This will provide an opportunity for the OFC to market its game through television rights.
The new dates also allows champion clubs from each country taking part in both their domestic competitions and the regional tournament to better manage their schedules and avoid drawn out seasons.
Hekari which has won the NSL final since its inception in 2006 has struggled to keep pace with its O-League competitors after winning the competition two seasons ago.
Kapi Natto, speaking from his own experience as Hekari franchise owner, said clashes with scheduling in both competitions made it hard for the team to adjust and field competitive teams.
The NSL chairman said as an islander, the new format would give teams from island countries a chance to take care of their local obligations before moving on to the O-League which requires teams to be at their very best for every game.
Under the new format, the OFC has agreed that the immediate champion, such as Hekari (PNG), would qualify for the O-League in 2013.
But after 2014, the runner-up of the NSL grand final would also have the chance to qualify for the O-League by taking part in a second-tier competition with other Pacific Island teams and the winner would earn a spot in the eight-team format.