11-08-2025
PNG heads to Solomon Islands for OFC Junior Championship for the first time in seven years
Papua New Guinea's men's Under-16s football team has qualified for the OFC Junior Championships for the first time since 2018, under the leadership and guidance of head coach Mathew Witu,
The team left Papua New Guinea yesterday, set to compete in the Solomon Islands from August 15 and aiming to work their way up to the top.
"The Tonga tournament was our gateway into qualifying for this year's Championships," Witu said.
"I keep emphasising during our past two weeks of training that they are the very ones that secured the spot for us to compete after a long while and they are to maintain the same spirit and go out there, play their heart out and represent their country with pride no matter the outcome."
Players were selected from various provinces nationwide based on their on-field experience.
Coaches have been working tirelessly throughout the two-week training following the selection.
Witu with the PNG men's Under-16s squad at a training run. ( Supplied )
One setback the team faced was player positioning on the field. Most of the players are selected from the provincial level.
"Coaching and understanding their positions on the field is something that some coaches lag behind with knowledge-wise, hence, most of the players just play for passion and follow suit without having exposure to other positions," Witu explained.
"When they make it to national level, we have to teach and train them these things; skills which should have been harnessed and honed at the provincial level. So it's been hard overall; the team has been hard on the grind despite only having a two-week time frame to prepare for the tournament."
Despite that, Witu felt the preparation had been good for the boys, despite the selection being done at short notice.
"We were only given two weeks to train and prepare; I'd say the tactical parts that we still need to improve on are ball control and ball positioning, but overall everyone's performance is great," he said.
PNG's Under-16s men's soccer team, with coaching staff and management at the airport prior to departing for the OFC Junior Championships. ( Supplied )
PNG are in Pool A of the competition, alongside Melanesian rival, Fiji. Cook Islands and Tahiti round out their pool.
The young PNG squad will play Cook Islands on August 17, then Tahiti on August 20, and wrap up with Fiji on August 23.
The tournament also doubles as a qualifier for the only two spots for Oceania and its representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.
