Three new sides for NSL season

By HENRY MORABANG
THREE new franchises are among seven that have submitted expressions of interest to play in the 2012-13 Telikom National Soccer League.
The new franchises are Yamaros FC, Simla FC, both of Port Moresby, and Morobe United (LFA).
Morobe United are backed by nomadic sponsor Gigira Laitepo, while Simla and Yamaros have their own financiers.
National Soccer League board chairman John Kapi Natto announced recently there were several expressions of interest from New Britain Oil Palm Ltd but they have yet to formally submit their interest.
Kapi Natto is appealing to NBPOL to submit their form before end of this week or they will miss out.
Central Coast FC and Tukoko University have not submitted their expression of interest forms and have until the end of this month to do so.
Kap Natto said they planned to have six or seven teams next year.
In the Ox & Palm National Women’s Soccer League; Bara, Poro and PNG Power have submitted their expressions of interest for the Lae zone, while Mungkas, Yamaros and University have put forward their submissions for the Port Moresby zone.
The new National Soccer League season is expected to start in the second week of January and will run until May,  weeks before the O-League season starts in June.
The O-League will run for only three weeks – from June to August.
The runners-up of respective O-League qualifying tournaments (PNG, Fiji, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Tonga) will have the chance to compete for the title as they go head to head to fill in the vacant eighth spot in the competition.
Kapi Natto said any franchise that needed more clarification could contact him or the NSL development manager Chris Brown at the PNGFA office in Port Moresby.