PC is the official Bid newspaper
KEVIN TEME
THE battle has begun as Papua New Guinea knuckles down in its campaign for a licence to enter a team in the world’s toughest rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia.
If successful in its licence bid by 2013, PNG will have a team in the competition.
And the bid team has begun spreading to lock corporate sponsorship for the three-year drive to convince NRL that PNG can and will support a team that can be competitive in the NRL
Already major sponsorship deals have been closed by the bid team with business entities like giant soft drink company, Coca-Cola Amatil PNG Ltd coming on board as the major sponsor with K1.5 million, Airlines PNG (K300,000 a year), Holiday Inn named as the Bid’s headquarters and just yesterday, PNG’s Number One daily and weekend newspaper, publisher, South Pacific Post joining as the official PNG NRL bid newspaper with a sponsorship of K300,000.
PNG NRL Bid general manageress Bev Broughton in welcoming South Pacific Post (SPP) onto the bid team thanked the managing director Kevin Smith and the SPP for putting their hand up to help PNG’s dream to field a team in the NRL.
Broughton said Post-Courier “is a strong voice for the people of PNG and is part of one of the most prominent international networks in the world which is, News Limited’’.
“The Post-Courier and the Bid team together will ensure that everyone is kept up to date with the progress of the Bid flame that is igniting as it grows big and gains momentum,” Broughton said.
South Pacific Post managing director and publisher of the Post-Courier newspaper Mr Kevin Smith sees the bid as one of the greatest community projects in the country and he knows his company is backing a winner.
Philemon Embel, Minister for sports, Minster Assisting the Prime Minister and the chairman of the PNG NRL Bid in a joint statement with Mr Smith “warmly welcomed Post-Courier to the Bid’s sponsorship family’’.
“This partnership is extremely important for the Bid as News Limited really understands the game and business of rugby league. I am sure they will be a great influence for us as well as a strong promoter of our Bid.
“Our partnership is not about providing exclusivity for only one newspaper but it is simply about leveraging as much promotion and power for the bid as possible,” Minister Embel said.
Smith echoed Minister Embel’s sentiment saying;
“We (South Pacific Post) are not seeking media exclusivity. We recognise the value of all media sources and agencies in PNG and we want to show our faith in this great mission. Like other high profile sponsors we want to be with the Bid from the beginning as we recognise that the bid is for our people, our country and our future.”
PNG’s bid will get a firm test yet this year on the turf in the four-nation rugby league tournament to be held in Australia and New Zealand respectively.
Our national team, the Kumuls will take on Australia on October 24 at Parramatta Stadium — the heart of rugby league in Australia in the Four Nations tournament ths year.
The outcome will add plenty of discussion towards whether PNG is on the way to join NRL in 2013.
