The course is the first of its kind to be held in Papua New Guinea and it is hoped it will be a major boost to the development of both futsal and the regular form of football in the Niugini Islands.
Scott Gilligan, a FIFA instructor and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) project manager for futsal, is running the course and will pass on his knowledge to the 28 participants.
“What we are doing is teaching the basics of futsal, which is a five-a-side game that is played on a 40m by 20m pitch,” he says.
Gilligan says the course includes both practical and theory sessions, and those taking part are learning about the techniques of the game and some tactical structures.
He says the participants are responding well to the sessions and are trying to learn as much as they can.
Gilligan thinks that, if the code is taken seriously, Papua New Guinea has the potential to emulate fellow OFC association member Solomon Islands and excel in futsal.
A national side will not, however, be taking part in the upcoming OFC Futsal Championships, to be held in Fiji from August 8 to 14.
Joining the host nation in Suva for the event will be teams from New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Papua New Guinea coaching course will be followed up next week though, with a similar FIFA-run futsal refereeing course at the same venue.
The aim of the two courses combined is to provide the basic technical and refereeing knowledge for futsal to be introduced at a grassroots level in the Niugini Islands.
Story and photo courtesy of the Papua New Guinea Football Association.
For more information about Papua New Guinea football go to www.pngfootball.com.pg