NCD Governor's Cup Returns

The National Capital District (NCD) Governor’s Cup launched its 19th edition of the annual rugby league off-season competition on Wednesday, 3rd November 2025, at Bomana Prison in Port Moresby. 

Established in 2006, the tournament is hosted annually during Christmas to engage the youth in sporting activities. The tourney has grown from strength to strength every year, drawing interest from teams within the nation’s capital.  

More than 70 teams participated in last year’s tournament, with the number expected to increase this year, potentially reaching over 80 teams.

The registration for the tournament opened on November 21st and will close on December 10th, with a fee of K700 per team.  

The NCD Governor’s Cup founding Chairman, Billy Aki, once served his time in prison. After being released in 2023, he started this initiative to give back to the prisoners.

Aki said the inmates don’t have the freedom to celebrate the festive season with their loved ones, so he came up with this concept in 2023 to gather the prisoners and present them with gifts to brighten their day. 

Mr Aki encouraged the prisoners to embrace each other, serve their time faithfully, and bring those values back to the community to become law-abiding citizens when they are released from incarceration.

Last year, a soccer tournament was introduced, with both codes scheduled to run concurrently this year and finish their respective competitions before the 2026 academic year resumes in February. 

In commemoration of PNG’s 50th Independence Anniversary, the NCD Governor, Hon. Powes Parkop, has increased the prize money to make the year special and memorable for the participating teams. 

Chairman Aki expressed his deepest appreciation to Governor Parkop for his continued support and looks forward to delivering another successful tournament.

The following are the prize monies for the rugby league competition featuring both men’s and women’s tournaments. 

Men’s Division:

• Cup Winner - K100,000

• Runner-up - K50,000

• Plate Winner - K30,000

• Runner-up - K20,000

Women’s Division:

• Cup Winner - K15,000

• Plate Winner - K7,000

• Runner-up - K5,000

In soccer, the men’s Cup winner will claim K15,000, the runner-up settles for K10,000, the Plate winner collects K7,000, and the Plate runner-up receives K5,000. 

For the women’s division, the Cup winner will earn K10,000, the runner-up gets K7,000, the Plate winner walks away with K5,000, and the runner-up receives K4,000. 

The NCD Governor’s Cup serves as a foundation for many rugby league stars who have benefited from this competition. It has become a launchpad for the players to further their careers in the DEM Cup and the national teams, including the PNG Hunters and PNG Kumuls.