Touch to begin regional format

Normal, Sports
Source:

By HENRY MORABANG

TOUCH football PNG will for the first time conduct its regional championships in open, seniors and master division this year.
TFPNG president Joe Yore yesterday revealed this when announcing the 2010 calendar .
He said the regional championship waspart of TFPNG objectives to prepare for major touch international football events.
Yore said the regional championship was a good concept where the best of each region met in one place to select their side for the national championships.
The regional touch championships in May will be held in the following centres, Alotau (Southern), Madang (Momase), Goroka (Highlands) and Buka (NGI).
“With major tournaments such as South Pacific championships, the World Cup and the Asia Pacific Tri-Nation Test between PNG, Singapore and Japan on the next year, it is imperative that TFPNG change its way of thinking to meet those challenges,” Yore said.
He said people might think it was impossible but if corporate companies could support touch football, then the goals could be reached.
The regional championship is one of the major events that will be conducted this year while others include the Provincial Championships in Kokopo (July 1-4), Under 20 Queensland State championships in Brisbane (July), the Kokoda Cup in September and the Indigenous Games in Brisbane (November).
The South Pacific championships was endorsed in a meeting by all touch football playing countries that since New Caledonia could not host the event, the teams would meet next year in the Gold Coast, Australia.
The South Pacific championship is part of the build-up towards the World Cup and the Tri-Nation touch challenge.
Yore said the Tri-Nation concept was developed to help lift standard of football among Asia and Pacific countries .
before taking on the giants Australia and New Zealand at the major competition.