Sports foundation encourages use of facilities

By EHEYUC SESERU
THE Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation has urged the sporting fraternity in Lae to make use of its facilities by hiring for preparations and hosting tournaments.
The foundation’s regional office for Mamose and New Guinea Islands in Lae manages a number of facilities for different codes. Regional manager Geoffrey Gideon called on sports bodies in Morobe to make use of the facility, during a meeting last Friday.
Gideon said the usage will be through hiring for training using the gym at the Sir Ignatius Kilage indoor complex, and hosting of games at the indoor basketball, netball and volley ball courts as well as the outdoor courts (volleyball and netball) and the swimming pool and the soccer, rugby union and AFL fields.
He said the facilities were there for sports in the province to make good use of as well as being a revenue earner for the facilities.
Gideon said using the facility to prepare for national tournaments and representative duties would greatly help the teams.
“The codes have to pay to use the space and in turn the money goes to helping maintain facilities for costs like water and power,” Gideon said.
He added that the rates for using the facilities could be negotiated.
Gideon said the use of soccer field alone for a game was K3000, which the National Soccer League had struggled to pay so they negotiated with the foundation and were able to come up with an arrangement that would allow NSL fixtures to be played after payment every time the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium was used.