Player eligibility a focus at Southern youth tourney

THE Southern Region PNG Football Association Under-17 Youth Football tournament (July 4-7) will be strict on enforcing player eligibility requirements.
Local organising committee chairman Joseph Ealedona said they would be meeting with team managers on Friday at the Bisini Football Grounds to emphasis on the significance of eligibility.
Team managers were urged to attend the meeting to provide documentation such as passports, NID cards and birth certificates as proof of their player’s eligibility.
“We will remind those wanting to participate that the cut off date for eligible players is Dec 31, 2001. A player born on Jan 1, 2001 is considered to be U17 until Dec 31, 2001,” Ealedona said.
Other agendas in the meeting will see the LOC confirm the number of teams and the draws. Prior to the meeting, all interested clubs are urged to pay their registration fees of K540 by tomorrow in order to be included in the draws.
Ealedona said the interests was overwhelming with more than 10 schools from the Port Moresby School Football Association, some of the Port Moresby Soccer Association and some from NCD Secondary Schools Football.
The PNGFA sanctioned youth tournament will be co-hosted by the POMSFA and PMSA at the Bisini Soccer Grounds which will include teams from NCD and some from Central.
The Northern region leg of the youth tournament starts today at the PNGFA Academy in Lae, Morobe, which will include youth teams from Momase and the Highlands region.