Papua New Guinea has never been short on playing numbers with a population of more than six million and approximately 200,000 who play the game. But the country’s developing status and the geographical challenges of the country continue to prove an obstacle for football development.

The Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA), established in 1962 and affiliated to FIFA shortly after, is working hard to overcome these challenges. President David Chung and his administration have taken a national approach where previously the focus had been regional and at times fractionalised. The National Soccer League was introduced in 2006 and despite significant logistical challenges has continued to run successfully.

Men’s football competes with the popularity of other codes such as rugby league but for women the number one sport in Papua New Guinea is football. Through continued PNGFA support, the national women’s side secured back-to-back victories at the South Pacific Games and went close to qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games only to be knocked out by New Zealand at the final hurdle in both competitions. At youth level, the women’s side has been nominated to represent Oceania at the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore in 2010. Another success for PNGFA was the inauguration of the new association headquarters and national football academy in Lae in 2003 allowing activities to be coordinated more successfully.