PNG

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#FF0000" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="3fa285a1dvlddx.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Aussie Rules Global Invasion</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aussie Rules Global Invasion"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canada"><U>Canada</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Denmark"><U>Denmark</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Germany"><U>Germany</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great Britain"><U>Great Britain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ireland"><U>Ireland</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Japan"><U>Japan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id125.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nauru"><U>Nauru</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Zealand"><U>New Zealand</U></A>   |   <B>PNG</B>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Samoa"><U>Samoa</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="South Africa"><U>South Africa</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spain"><U>Spain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sweden"><U>Sweden</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="USA"><U>USA</U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=9.375% BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="3f9d4fe0dvldtc.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFCC33" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>PNG</I></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="226" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 108 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="49051660.png" border=0 width="81" height="102" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Papua New Guinea"><U><B>Home Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Papua New Guinea"><U><B>International Results</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PNG"><U><B>Photo Gallery</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="701" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="695"><div> <B>A strength in the Pacific</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFCC33 HEIGHT= 585 WIDTH="695"><div> <I><B>Papua New Guinea proves a force on the international scene.</B></I></div> <div> Australian Football was introduced in Papua New Guinea in the 1950's by Australian school teachers and defence force personnel.</div> <div> The code developed rapidly and until the early 1980's, is reported to have been the predominant football game played in PNG with vibrant competitions in all centres.</div> <div> In 1978/1979, the then VFL appointed a full-time manager, Peter Evans (formerly with Hawthorn), for the PNG rules council.</div> <div> During the 1970's, there was an annual competition against a team from the Gold Coast. PNG fielded a team in the 1979 Teal Cup in Hobart. Since 1990, there has been regular competition against teams from Cairns.</div> <div> An  international Australian Football competition was first held as part of the 1995 Arafura Games in Darwin. PNG won the gold medal defeating New Zealand in the grand final. In August 1996, the PNG Mosquitoes played the Central Desert Eagles as a curtain-raiser to a West Coast Carlton match in Perth.</div> <div> After PNG's success at the Arafura Games, AFL officials Ed Biggs and Ian Collins visited the major Australian Football Centres in PNG.</div> <div> PNG Rules Football Council officials were advised to draw up a three-year development plan to qualify for football development assistance. The plan was to include a summary of the current state of Australian Football in PNG, a management structure, facilities improvement, development proposals and financial estimates.</div> <div> PNG successfully defended its gold medal at the 1997 Arafura Games, again defeating New Zealand in the final. Two years later, PNG won its third gold medal at the Arafura Games, once again at the expense of the Kiwis.</div> <div> In 2000, the AFL sent a development officer, Andrew Cadzow, to PNG. Based in Port Moresby, Cadzow also visited other regional centres.</div> <div> National championships are staged at the end of each season. The national titles in 2000 attracted teams from Buka, Pomio, Rabaul, Kove, Hoskins, Kimbe, Lae, Mt Hagen and National Capital District (Port Moresby).</div> <div> AFL PNG was established in August 2001 to coordinate and support junior development and community-based programs in PNG.</div> <div> It plans to operate four main Australian Football programs across PNG. Pikinini Pilai Rules (based on Auskick), Raitman (modelled on Rio Tinto's Kickstart), Saveman (accreditation opportunities for coaches, umpires and administrators) and Binatang Representative (progress path for players leading to under-16 national selection).</div> <div> The Sydney Swans are keen to forge a closer relationship with Australian Football in PNG. This has come about as a result of the success of their first group trek across Kokoda Trail last year. 'The Track' will challenge a group of Swans players each year and each season in August, the PNG Bintangs (PNG's national under-16 team) will play in a curtain-raiser to the Kokoda memorial match in Sydney.</div> <bR> <div> * Above Information is from the Official Souvenir Program of the 2002 International Cup</div> <bR> <div> PNG competed in the 2002 International Cup, they won all their matches with ease but where beaten by Ireland in the final. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>