The Port Moresby Hockey Association (POMHA) started its preseason over the weekend, April 27-28, 2024, at the Sir John Guise Hockey Pavilion.
The pre-season featured ten clubs, competing in two divisions for men and women. The event followed the traditional 11-aside hockey format and will continue for two weeks.
The newly appointed President of POMHA, Kawetan Pokiap, stated that the pre-season aimed to reintroduce everyone to the routine, ensuring a smooth start to the upcoming proper season.
Mr. Pokiap expressed satisfaction with the turnout over the weekend, saying, "I was quite impressed today. I didn't expect everyone to turn up so early. The match was scheduled for 11 am, and people were there around 9 am. It shows the enthusiasm everyone has.”
POMHA is also preparing for a major event, the NCD Championship, scheduled for September, 2024.
"We plan to hold it around the Independence weekend. This is a significant tournament for us, in addition to the regular season," Pokiap explained.
The NCD Championship involves ranking players based on their skills and age groups, including veterans, senior men, elite, and juniors.
Mr. Pokiap acknowledged that hockey had been on the rise in 2016 but was impacted by COVID-19 in 2019/20, and they are now focused on rebuilding.
Currently, the goal of the association is to kick off the season with a full competition as they work on revitalising the sport in the upcoming seasons.
“The preliminary plan is to have three rounds of the competition followed by finals in October,” said Pokiap.
"Our main objective is to successfully complete the season and continue to strengthen it in the following years.”
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