Programme vital

GREETINGS to our rugby league family and welcome to our 15th edition of the “Fulltime Reserve” column for this year in our favorite rugby league newspaper, The National.Our 2021 rugby league season commenced successfully last week with the completion of round one of the Digicel Cup and the PNGRFL would like to commend all the teams, players, officials and stakeholders for the collaboration to ensure its success. The PNGRFL was also pleased to receive approval from the Pandemic Controller’s office this week for the commencement of all our major and associate member association competitions around the country. These milestones will ensure that our planned events and programmes across the country are delivered in line with the revised calendar as published in the 9th edition.A key strategic outcome for the PNGRFL annually is the successful delivery of the “Domestic Pathway Programme” for our athletes and match and technical officials.The domestic pathway programme is the hierarchical football structure through which an athlete, match official or technical official is identified, developed and promoted from our amateur grassroots competitions to an elite athlete, match official or game administrator. The PNGRFL is implementing a robust domestic pathway programme which is outlined in the PNGRFL’s ‘10-Year Strategic Plan’ and the current ‘New Ireland Model’ governance and management reforms being rolled out across the country.The two key components of the ‘Domestic Pathway Programme’ under the new reforms are the PNGRFL’s ‘Six-Tier Competition Structure’ and the new ‘National Tournament Structure’, both of which are designed to support and promote the domestic pathway programme. The ‘Six-Tier Competition Structure’ is the delivery platform for ‘Pillar One’ of the PNGRFL’s Strategic Plan which is the ‘Game Development and Participation Strategy’. This strategy focuses on growing the game and improving sporting standards. All domestic rugby league players and officials, from our juniors to our elite, play and participate in rugby league competitions and programmes delivered through one of the different competition tiers within the six-tier competition structure.It is from these respective competitions that talented athletes and officials are then identified and selected for development through the provincial, confederate and national tournaments which are sanctioned under the National Tournament Structure. This is the avenue for PNGRFL’s ‘High Performance and Elite Sport Development Strategy’ which is pillar two of the PNGRFL Strategic Plan. The PNGRFL is confident that this robust domestic pathway programme will ensure more of our young rugby league athletes, officials and administrators develop to progress to the elite levels and set the foundations to build and grow the sport. We believe that with a clear 10-year strategic plan and an effective governance and management framework for the sport, the PNGRFL will be in a position to manage and steer the sport towards achieving sustained growth and prosperity. Until next week, may the grace, love and care of our Good Lord be with you.

Cheers,
Sandis