Off to PNG

I am laughing to myself as I write this as I just tweeted I was about to update my blog and Gatty (Ray Gatt from The Australian) tweeted back to me saying he didn't think he'd see the day I was so savvy with the web. 

Gatty, I'm a footballer. I like to learn new skills. The only thing I don't really like doing is walking a golf course; buggies are great. 

But this is a great lead-in to what I'm doing here at the airport lounge about to head off to PNG. I have taken up a new role as OFC Technical Advisor and Coach Mentor, where I will be working to improve PNG football from the grassroots level up. THis starts with coaches and one of my early priorities is to identify potential coaches, recruit them, work with them through their coach education programs and be a mentor to them. I am looking forward to it.

As I wrote in my first post on this site, it's good to see how much football in Oceania has developed since Australia left it. While many feared that would sound the death knell for football in the Pacific (other than the Kiwi's) it was the impetus it needed to kick start many good programs funded mostly by FIFA via OFC. I know it's a controversial area in respect of some development funding, but Oceania is one of the development areas where FIFA funds have been put to good use and the money is going where it's supposed to be.

I'm also looking forward to contributing to the 2015 South Pacific Games which Port Moresby is hosting, as an advisory committee member. We have a committee meeting tomorrow, and then I head off to Lae where I will be based.

I'll be back in a month, home for three weeks over the Christmas/New Year break, and then back into it where we start on a range of other grassroots development issues also. 

In the meantime, enjoy your football and hope the A-League keeps going onward and upward!

Frank