By GABRIEL KATUHO
PAPUA New Guinea International Alwin Komolong who recently signed a deal with the Queensland Lions Football Club for the 2024 National Premier League Season has spoken about how PNG can improve the level of soccer.
In an online interview with Sunday Bulletin, he explained his contract and his partway in soccer which he described it as a technical sport, and in order to mastering, it is through enjoying it.
Komolong’s contract signing with the Queensland Lions Football Club is only for one season, however, he said that can always be extended.
Speaking about the standard of football in PNG, he said that PNG still needs to be elevated to the highest level with collaborative efforts.
“Football in PNG at the National League level isn’t of the highest pedigree with an exception to maybe the top 1-2 teams.
“We have a long way to go to fully realise our potential and what it really means to be in a high-performance environment with high standards,” Komolong said.
“In saying so, we are blessed with an abundance of talent.
“At an amateur level it may be sufficient, however, if we want to establish success in region and in the upper echelons of football, we need to start investing in supporting our talent pathways.
“This can be done through elite academies and exposure to higher levels of play which has been certainly lacking recently,” he added.
Komolong said lifting up the standard of the soccer in the country would have to be through enforcing the partway or development programs from the national and local clubs.
“This standard must also be enforced through respective National League Clubs and Member Associations,” he said.
Komolongs encouraged the young ones who are looking at taking up soccer as their sport to do it for the right reasons.
“Play football because you enjoy it.
“It’s a hard sport to master if you want to make it to the top.
“But if you work hard, discipline and find joy in it, you can draw lessons that can carry you through life.”
Komolong started playing football in Brisbane at Oxley United in the under sevens (U7s) when his parents were studying for their PhDs.
