Papua New Guinea Basketball ready to take the next step

Port Moresby -  The Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG) will lay the groundwork for basketball development with grassroots programs focusing on the youth to raise their profile in the Oceania region.

Newly hired BFPNG Executive Officer, Stephen Damien will spearhead the development plan concentrating on the upcoming PNG National Championship, U15 Championship, 3x3 Championship and the anticipated FIBA U15 Oceania Championship in December.

 

 “We want BFPNG to be the leading National Federation in the Oceania Region - in terms of its development programs, administration, national teams, policies and funding,” Damien said.

 

With Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s emphatic championship run at the inaugural 2017 FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup, which they hosted at the newly constructed world-class Taurama Aquatic Indoor Centre in Port Moresby last October, PNG’s future in basketball is radiating with immense potential.

 

“Basketball is seeing a transformation throughout the world and PNG is no exception.” Damien quipped.

 

Previously the  general manager of Team PNG for the Commonwealth Games 2018, Damien feels he is up to the task of helping PNG basketball rise to another level.

 

“My prior experiences working with the government, sports, hospitality industry, agriculture sector and the media gives me a wide range of working in and interacting across different sectors,” said the Papua New Guinea native.

 

Damien stressed that BFPNG is fully committed to developing a pool of athletes for the youth teams to attract more interest and pave the way for more funding from sponsors.

 

“We want to increase the awareness in basketball with the younger population and build a pool of young athletes; to generate more interest from sponsors and encourage greater funding support and as well generate an independent source of revenue for BFPNG.”

 

With his previous marketing experience, Damien will bring to the table another dimension to the promotion of basketball  in the country.

 

“We will take advantage of our social media platforms; media publicity and make use of technology to increase communication between BFPNG and provincial clubs and associations,” Damien stated. “Another challenge is to devise a media strategy to build interest in the sports with the fans as well as attract new sponsors and keep the current ones happy but spending more,” he added.

 

PNG is leaving no stones unturned in their preparation for the FIBA U15 Oceania Championship with their participation in last year’s “Tournament Coaches Course” conducted by Basketball Australia’s Head of High Performance Coach Peter Lonergan and FIBA Development Manager Annie La Fleur.

Patrick Ani attended the seminar as the PNG Sports Foundation Coach Performance Coordinator. He is also the newly appointed Competitions Officer of the BFPNG.

Check out our previous story on Ani here: Patrick Ani building on pathways to the future in Papua New Guinea

“There are a lot of things I will take back from this workshop, planning is one of them and following through with junior programs. This workshop is a stepping stone for us looking ahead and what we are going to be doing. If we implement what we learned here then this will create a culture with our juniors that will go all the way through to our seniors,” shared Ani on his experience in the seminar.

Aside from the workshop, Ani also volunteered for the Twilight Basketball Program, a collaborative effort among FIBA Oceania, International Basketball Foundation (IBF) and BFPNG for the Port Moresby community.

"From Day One, I kept on volunteering for it," Ani recalled. "We had a researcher from the University of PNG come up there on Friday nights. Her research indicated most of the areas where these kids are from are the biggest crime units in Port Moresby. So we're contributing to some positivity around the community." he added.

The former U22 team member has witnessed the history of PNG basketball through years and has big dreams for their future.

"Ultimately I'm looking a bit further down the line. I'd like to get a team into the World Cup and Olympics and it begins with these boys who will be participating at the end of the year (FIBA Oceania U15 Championship). FIBA has provided a pathway that we can go and I'd like to drive that, with the federation and all the executives on board,” he ended.

With these promising plans,the future looks bright for Papua New Guinea basketball.