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| The PNG U20 Womens team during the FIFA U20 World Cup in Port Moresby |
By FIDELIS SUKINA
PNG U20 Womens Coach Lisa Cole has put in place a legacy program for the future of the U20 womens team going forward to next year’s qualifiers.
Eleven of the players in the current team of the U20 PNG Women’s team are eligible for the next world cup in France 2018.
Cole told Post Courier that she had put in a legacy program to see through that the team remains together leading into the qualifiers next year, but the issue of sponsorship will need to be addressed.
“I put together a legacy program that would see the team through qualifying for the next U20 World Cup (11 of the current players are eligible) and then the Sr Team’s qualifying for the next world cup in 4 years.
“I am hopeful that we will be able to find sponsorship for this and that we can continue to not only have this group not only on the field but in school,” Cole said
Cole added the team is improving slowly and she is really pushing for the current program to continue on to the next cycle of the Under 20 qualifiers next year.
She believes in the team and has hope that with the current experience and the continued program leading into next year will see the U20 Womens team be a tough competitor in the Oceania regional qualifiers.
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| PNG U20 Womens Coach Lisa Col |
“Again I am hopeful that we continue the current program for the next cycle to the U20 World Cup.
Qualifying is in Mid Aug of next year and I believe the PNG Team is capable of beating NZ if given the opportunity to prepare properly.
“I have developed a program to overlap between the age groups to share resources and to allow for games to be played vs. each other,” Cole said
Cole’s tentative legacy program is scheduled to take place at the National Sports Institute in Goroka, as early as January 2017 all through into the year.
The program will ensure the squad members are in school and train on schedule towards the Stage one (late July 2017) and stage two (mid August 2017) of the U20 World Cup Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) qualifiers.
Cole also mentioned that the U17 qualifiers are also next year with stage one U17 World Cup OFC qualifiers in September and the second stage in November.
Cole’s program also includes the senior team and the U15 team as well and their schedules will overlap to include friendly matches between the U20s and the U17s and the senior team, while the U15 team will play against the U17 to identify future players
“I have developed a program to overlap between the age groups to share resources and to allow for games to be played vs. each other.
“PNG is capable of winning at the next level, not the world level yet but we can compete with New Zealand to represent OFC at the world cup and should. It is only our lack of organization that prevents this from happening,” Cole said
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