Those were the words of PNGFA President David Chung after the ground-breaking ceremony of Emiovi Football Academy in Bougainville last Friday.
Chung said the Bougainville Academy was built using money from the FIFA Less-Privileged fund at a cost of K1.8 million, while the Autonomous Region of Bougainville Government contributed K1.8 million in a kina-for-kina arrangement.
Chung said plans to build other academies were still in progress.
The FIFA Goal Project-funded academy in West New Britain capital, Kimbe is undergoing phase one of the project while phase two would be paid for with a funding of K1 million by the provincial government.
Chung said he could only acquire more FIFA funding if the Kimbe project was 90 per cent complete.
FIFA Development Officer Glen Turner is pushing hard for Kimbe to complete the project in order for PNGFA to receive additional financial assistance.
Chung, also OFC President and Vice-President of FIFA, said he wanted to install floodlights at the academy so national teams could train and play at night.
“If everything goes according to plan, PNGFA will submit for funding to upgrade the main academy in Lae, and hopefully push for a Port Moresby academy to be built,” Chung said.
He said it would cost K1.2 million for all the projects.
The main purpose of the football academies would be to evaluate and monitor players involved in the programmes.
Statistics and other data would be kept to track their progress. Chung said this was an important aspect of elite sport that the PNGFA was committed.