Provincial hockey teams advised to secure accommodation

PROVINCIAL teams competing in the Hockey National Championships from Sept 16-19 have been urged to secure their accommodation in Port Moresby.
Manus, East New Britain, West New Britain, Madang, Morobe and the National Capital District will go up against each other in a battle for supremacy.
Papua New Guinea Hockey Federation president Kaluwin Potuan said the teams must start making accommodation arrangements to avoid disappointment.
“Some options are the Gordon Secondary School, Inservice College, Administration College or friends and family who have houses big enough to accommodate teams,” Potuan said.
“Port Moresby will be putting two teams for the men and women.
“Other teams are also encouraged to do so, but it will depend on their funding.
“The federation advised them on the matter at last year’s PNG Games. All provinces are expected to field men’s and women’s teams.”
The championships were last played in 2013 in Madang where Port Moresby came out on top in the men’s and women’s division.
Potuan said the championships were all about giving their affiliates the opportunity to play on an international standard hockey turf.
“This is about giving the opportunity to outside teams to play on the turf in Port Moresby,” he said.
“They normally play on grass, so it’s a different ball game when they get to experience what it’s like to play on the hockey turf in Port Moresby.
“Every international event is played on such a turf, so we think it’s in the best interest of hockey’s development.”
Potuan said they had been advised that hockey won’t be played at the 2019 Pacific Games.
“This won’t be a selection trial for us because hockey is not going to be played at the upcoming Pacific Games in Samoa,” he said.
“I don’t know why hockey is not going to be played at the Pacific Games.”