Maintenance Seminar hosted by FIFA in PNG

FIFA’s Football Turf and Natural Grass Consultant, Mark Jennings-Temple with the participants talking about turf maintenance to the participants (Picture by U20 World Cup Local Organizing Committee)

Having football facilities is one thing but ensuring that they are well kept and maintained for competitions is very important. Oceania Football Confederation and PNG Football Association President, David Chung said this during the opening of the two-day Maintenance Seminar that is being hosted by FIFA in Port Moresby on Tuesday (9th August).

 The trainers that flew in from FIFA headquarters in Switzerland are Daniel Krebs, Football Facilities and Income Generation Programme manager, Mark Jennings-Temple, FIFA Football Turf and Natural Grass Consultant and Steven Guley, FIFA Facilities Consultant.

 The Maintenance Seminar is being attended by facilities and turf managers from within the Oceania Confederation. The participants are from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu and host country Papua New Guinea.

 Mr Chung said the workshop will certainly enhance the participant’s skills in maintaining the field quality in order to have quality football fields for their players to enjoy.

 “I am sure that all of you will benefit from sharing ideas and also from learning from the FIFA experts who are here to ensure you learn as much from them and bring back your knowledge to implement in your respective countries,” Mr Chung said.

He said FIFA’s Forward Football Development program has committed USD25 million so far in the Oceania region since 2008 in building football facilities and such workshops are beneficial to ensure the investment is sustainable.

Daniel Krebs, Football Facilities and Income Generation Programme manager in welcoming the participants said the objective of the seminar is to get the participants to learn about how to maintain their pitches and facilities.

“Turf and facility maintenance is integral, therefore knowing how to maintain those two things will enable you to be strategic in your budgeting. “I hope that at the end of the workshop you will be able to go back to your countries and share the knowledge that you have received here with your people and create a legacy,” Jennings-Temple said.

The first day involved turf maintenance training while the second day training involved facilities training. 

Source: U20 Womens World Cup local Organizing committee PNG