Soccer reigns as top sport in Banuka

CELEBRATIONS erupted as Banuka in their assorted green-themed uniforms carried their goal keeper on their shoulders in jubilation.
Banuka defeated Gholeka 1-0 in the Dubanateboa men’s futsal grand final.
Dubanateboa, a soccer loving community is a three-hour drive from Port Moresby along Magi Highway in Central province.
The excitement overshadowed any expectations for prize monies or trophies because there was none.
The celebrations after would have easily rivalled the National Soccer League itself.
That is the simple joy of rural communities.
Banuka and seven other teams had only two days to prepare for the Dubanateboa village mini-sports competition but the result was worth the effort.
The Dubanateboa village team Dobo Murika Football club had once graced the Bisini soccer ovals in division one of the Port Moresby Soccer Association (PMSA). The village held regular weekend competitions to feed players into their representative team and life was never dull until around 2008 when the team pulled out of PMSA as the stress and expenses of travelling to and from the city took its toll.
Vincent Votu, pictured, a former player remembers the dates well as it was during that time that futsal was also introduced in the country.
Indiscipline eventually crept into his Seventh-Day Adventist community and general skill sets developed through years of playing soccer deteriorated.
Dubanateboa was no longer the lively village it once was.
Votu moved on in life and his recent employment as an ICT officer with High Performance Sport PNG that nudged his passion.
A request from his club chairman Magava Brian was all the encouragement he needed to get the ball rolling with games on New Year’s Day.