PNG NRL Franchise Board Launches Team Name Competition

The Papua New Guinea NRL Franchise Board, together with Prime Minister James Marape, alongside the Australian High Commissioner Ewen McDonald, officially launched the Team Name Competition Website today (13th August) at the Santos National Football Stadium Club Lounge in Port Moresby. 

The PNG NRL franchise held its first board meeting recently following the swearing-in of the seven Board Members in June. The board was tasked to come up with a name for the new team, including its mascot, logo, and team colors.  

The board's first undertaking is to find a suitable name that not only represents the team but resonates with our diverse cultures and traditions, as well as the people-to-people relationship between PNG and Australia, driving the message of unity. 

While launching the team name competition website, Prime Minister James Marape emphasized the importance of the team name, expressing his gratitude to the Australian Government, the ARLC, and the NRL competition, as well as the team behind the PNG NRL franchise. 

“I would like to acknowledge the Australian Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Minister Pat Conroy, the ARLC and NRL, including the PNG NRL Franchise CEO Andrew Hill, PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to put together the new PNG NRL team.

“I would also like to say thank you for the work done thus far. We’ve now reached a critical state, and I’m here associating myself with this momentous occasion to launch the important milestone on our way to assembling the team.  

“In the heart and soul of our country is sports. Many sports are played in our country, but there’s none more unifying than the sport of rugby league. In the context of unifying our country, we felt that having a team in the NRL would benefit our people.

“We want to name a team that represents both PNG and Australia. We don’t want to pick a team that’s named by the board, the PNG Government, or anyone who has been part of the process. We felt that the team must be named by the people of PNG through a fair and transparent process.”

As a unification strategy, the team must represent both PNG and Australia, with both nations having a long-standing relationship spanning more than half a century. The suggested team should have equal representation that resonates with both PNG and Australia, symbolizing the strong relationship between the two countries.

The PNG NRL franchise CEO, Andrew Hill, mentioned that the official name of the team would be revealed during the independence period or thereafter. A thorough and proper screening process will be carried out by the board before the team’s name is announced to the public. 

The PNG NRL franchise board will concentrate on the team name first and later focus on the team mascot, logo, and colors, including a state-of-the-art village compound that will be built for the players and officials.

Meanwhile, following the team name competition website launch, the voting link is now open for the public to vote online. A suggested or recommended name that gets over fifty percent votes will be shortlisted and potentially be used as the official name of the new PNG NRL franchise. There will also be some incentives for the winner.