WC to leave legacy: Hill

The National Sports

By ISAAC LIRI
PAPUA New Guinea co-hosting the 2017 Rugby League World Cup with Australia and New Zealand will bringopportunities in terms of legacy, says the tournament’s chief executive officer Andrew Hill.
Speaking during a breakfast gathering at the Royal Papua Yacht Club hosted by the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry last Thursday, Hill said PNG would be exposed to 130 countries through TV and media coverage.
Some countries who have bought broadcast rights for the tournament include Japan and China.
“I think PNG can really capture this chance of hosting three pool games and turning it into something beneficial,” Hill said.
“I’ve been coming to PNG now for the last 10 years and I’ve seen enormous infrastructure growth. This World Cup would mean more to the people of PNG. People here are mad rugby league fans.”
Hill said that they expected to see 45,000 people over the three games in Port Moresby when the Kumuls play Wales (Oct 28), Ireland (Nov 5) and USA (Nov 12).
“This World Cup is a real interesting time for the game to grow and with Port Moresby and the country of PNG showcasing the game here to a wide audience, it’s an opportunity for the country to do that.
“We are fortunate here to have a world class stadium, the Oil Search National Football Stadium and there is no place in the world that supports rugby league like PNG.
“We have two dedicated broadcast partners in EMTV and TVWAN and for PNG it will highlight that it is more than just a game in PNG,” Hill said.
Hill said he was pleased to see PNG get the opportunity to play different nations at this World Cup.
“We look over the last four or five years, PNG tend to play the same nations and it’s always spread across the Pacific where they play Fiji, the play Samoa, they play Tonga.
“The decision to bring the three games to Port Moresby wasn’t a universally supported decision. The government of Australia was going back and saying no and wanted the game to spread to South Australia and other states there but we had to convince them that bringing the game to PNG would benefit the game internationally,” Hill said.