This week FIFA hosted a two-day seminar featuring all six Confederations, but the work to provide the background on club licensing had already begun in Oceania.
Last week OFC Competitions Director Chris Kemp joined a FIFA delegation consisting of FIFA Senior Manager of Member Associations James Johnson and consultants to FIFA Robbie Middleton and Kaita Sugihara in conducing a short Club Licensing Workshop in Papua New Guinea.
The one-day workshop in Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby was attended by 19 National Soccer League franchise owners or representatives as well as several interested parties who were given an introduction to the FIFA Club Licensing System.
“We organised this workshop to raise awareness about the significance of club licensing and the benefits it brings to club football, especially as a development tool for national football in Papua New Guinea,” Johnson said.
FIFA’s Club Licensing System is based on five key criteria – sporting, personnel and adminstrative, financial, infrastructure and legal – which all aim to safeguard the credibility and integrity of club competitons while improving the level of professionalism.
Club Licensing is a long-term project being embarked upon globally and OFC aims to adopt the regional standards before the end of 2016. The guidelines will then be tailored to suit the needs of national associations and clubs.
Sugihara and Kemp also made a similar visit to Solomon Islands before joining the rest of the delegation in Papua New Guinea.
For more on Papua New Guinea football visit www.pngfootball.com.pg

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