Four new clubs could be ready to join the Papua New Guinea Football Association’s (PNGFA)semi-professional NSL football competition for next season and could include a franchise from Bougainville.
The other three entities are PS Roots (Port Moresby), Madang Country (Madang) and Lae West (Lae). These four franchises will join the existing five participating clubs to bring the number to nine franchise teams in the National Soccer League in 2007.
The original five NSL franchise teams will remain but slight changes have been made to their names. WFD Momads changed its name to Welgris Highlands, PRK Souths to PRK United, and Tuguba Laitepo Blue Kumuls to Tuguba Laitepo Morobe. Gelle Hills and AK Madang Fox have retained the same names used in 2006.
Madang will field two teams under a consortium arrangement. Madang MP Alois Kingsley will still back Madang Fox but would help consortium partners to back the Madang Country team. The Country team would be made up of players mostly from the local level government areas in the Madang province.
The Bougainville team will be based out of the autonomous region in either Lae or Goroka while PS Roots will base itself in Port Moresby. Lae Wests would be backed by Ipili, a local Porgera-based company in the Enga Province and will be based in Lae.
PS United had indicated a willingness to join the semi-professional competition but is yet to secure a sponsorship package that will enable it to gaurentee itself a spot in the 2007 competition.