http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...-we-help-to-unify-a-nation-20100626-zaqg.html
Help PNG develop its league and we help to unify a nation
PHIL GOULD
June 27, 2010
Hit ... Phil Gould is mobbed while in PNG to investigate its belief that having a side in the NRL will help unite its 800 tribes and counter a raft of social problems.
Three days in Papua New Guinea is not a long time - but some of the things I saw, and everything I learned, will last me a lifetime.
My trip came at the request of the PNG NRL bid team, which is keen to see this country represented in the NRL competition.
When first hearing of the Papua New Guineans' desire to secure an NRL licence, my reaction was that this was an ambitious pursuit with little hope of success. My assessment of PNG at that time was probably the same as yours and that of anyone else who has not visited this land.
My curiosity was ignited when I studied the real reasons behind the bid and realised that the initiative was being driven by several highly educated and motivated ministers in the PNG government.
This is not about football. This is about the unification of a country. This is about improving the education, health and lifestyle of a nation.
These men are determined to make a better life for the people of PNG. They are determined to tackle the problems of health, AIDS, rape, abuse, crime and security. They don't pretend these social problems don't exist. Much has been done in this area and significant improvement achieved, but there is much more to be done.
They are looking for generational change and believe that the education of their youth is the only place to start.
Some 50 per cent of the population of six million is under 25. These people need to be educated, which means the kids need to attend schools and to stay in schools.
This country has 800 tribes and 800 different languages. But the tribes beat with one heart, and that is rugby league.
Their passion for our sport is the one thing they all have in common.
The government believes it can best communicate with its people through rugby league, in particular with the nation's youth.
For the past 30 years, there has been no rugby league in schools. Body contact sports are now permitted. Rugby league is about to become a compulsory subject.
The government believes that rugby league can save a nation.
Its ministers believe that if they can one day secure an NRL licence, their people will be inspired.
Most would perceive PNG a third-world country, so why should we even contemplate such a suggestion? Well, with the exception of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and two states in South America, the whole of the southern hemisphere is third world.
I realised I was in no position to make a judgment until I'd seen PNG for myself and spoken to the people behind this bid.
I'm so glad I made the effort.
I found a country of contrasts, still caught in the traditions stemming from the old ways, yet aware of the new life that is about to come.
My upbringing has been one of privilege, so much of what I encountered was quite confronting. It certainly took me out of my comfort zone. Much of the living standards are quite primitive.
On the surface there appears to be great poverty. However, these people have great pride. Every person I met, and I mean every person, shook my hand with excitement and said: "Welcome to PNG."
I saw people living on the streets, but no one begging for food or money. No one is starving.
Drive through the heavily inhabited villages and you swear you have gone back in time; but then you see many of the villagers carrying mobile phones and cameras and realise that pretty much all of them have TV sets.
Most of what has been previously built is either extremely basic or in total disrepair.
But then you will turn the corner and come across builders raising a new block of apartments or a massive shopping mall, or totally renovating a brand-name hotel.
A one-hour helicopter ride over Port Moresby and surrounding areas reveals the secret.
Large roadworks carrying a stream of huge trucks run parallel to what will soon become huge pipelines. Gas and oil are plentiful. Gigantic tankers lie anchored in the bay awaiting their next shipments.
This is a country on the move. Resource-rich PNG is about to undergo dramatic economic change. You can smell the money as development and mining companies jostle for position.
What I'm sensing are ground-level opportunities for smart people. It remains to be seen whether Australian rugby league falls into this category.
Government officials have decided to build a replica of the Gold Coast's Skilled Park Stadium as the home ground in Port Moresby. They have the money. This facility, complete with an adjoining five-star hotel and secured underground transfer tunnel for athletes, will be completed in time for the 2015 Pacific Games.
The government has also committed $20 million to the bid and will continue to finance the franchise for as long as it takes to make it viable and sustainable.
Another key element of this program is the support it is receiving from other Pacific island nations, such as Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, who see an NRL franchise in PNG as giving their players opportunities to shine. This would be much more than just a PNG team.
I've suggested to the ministers that they have a lot of work to do before this dream comes to fruition.
The administration, a schools program, the development of junior league, the accreditation of officials and coaches - all need to be developed before the bid can be considered.
I've suggested the government sponsors a series of scholarships each and every year that helps promising youngsters visit Australia and be educated by our NRL clubs - a mobile rugby league academy, if you like, that takes advantage of our expertise in all facets of the sport.
I've suggested that it could be 10 years before the Papua New Guineans can present a serious bid.
This timeframe could be cut in half if the governing body in Australia decided to lend a hand.
To this point the ministers in PNG have been disappointed and even embarrassed by the reception they've received by certain rugby league leaders in our own country. Perhaps I'll talk more about this another time.
For now, I'm not here to demand an NRL licence for PNG. I'm not saying a PNG team should be immediately admitted to our competition.
What I do know is that the NRL spends a lot of time and money on worthy charities and community programs. We like to think it's helpful, and that at the very least it raises community awareness for important causes.
This is a very different endeavour. This is an opportunity to save a country and help a government better the lives of its people.
Rugby league can unite a nation.
Sounds like a worthy cause to me.
