OFC gives NSL K1.1m

THE only semi-professional soccer competition in the region, the National Soccer League (NSL) has become the richest single sporting organisation with an injection of K1.108 million from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
In his opening address to the member associations in the PNGFA workshop in Port Moresby last week, OFC president Reynald Temarri gave the thumbs up to NSL and commended PNGFA senior vice-president and the NSL board chairman John Kapi-Natto for taking the challenge to lead the NSL competition.
“PNG is blessed to have a man like Kapi-Natto, who took on the challenge head-on, to lead the semi-professional competition and has made a tremendous job out of it,” he said.
Temarri strongly believed that the NSL competition was the way forward for soccer in the country and urged everyone to support PNGFA and Kapi-Natto to ensure they took football to the next level.
Kapi-Natto described the assistance from the regional body as “overdue and timely”.
He said he was aware of OFC’s intention to assist NSL about two year ago but was glad they had delivered.
The support to NSL activities includes:
* Purchase of two buses – one in Lae and Port Moresby (K250,000); 
* Upgrading of soccer pitch at PNGFA Academy to NSL standard (K300,000); 
* Support to NSL clubs for computer and internet access – K7,000 per clubs (K56,000); 
* Hire of stadiums for NSL matches for next four years – K60,000 per year (K240,000); 
* Team apparel of eight NSL teams (two playing strips) for the next five years – K45,000 per club (K180,000); 
* FIFA approved balls for the teams (50 balls per team for next five years – K40,000 per club) (K160,000) and;
*Supply uniforms for NSL referees (tracksuits, training gears, boots, bags, whistles for the next five years – K4,500 per year – (K22,500)
Temarri also announced that under Goal Project III and Goal Project IV, FIFA/OFC would provide K2 million for facilities development for NSL in Port Moresby – to be call home of NSL.