PNGRFL Accredits 37 Match Officials

Thirty-seven (37) referees and touch judges have been officially accredited, through PNG Rugby Football League Better Development Accreditation, in preparation for the kick-off to the national competitions on 12 April 2026.

Of the 37 accredited match officials, three (3) are women referees. Participants attended the workshop from across the country. The match officials completed a two-day workshop covering sixteen training modules, delivered with the support of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL), Queensland Rugby League (QRL), National Rugby League (NRL), and PacificAus Sports at the Santos National Football Stadium.

These 37 match officials are the first to achieve the accreditation for the 2026 PNG National Rugby League Competition (PNGNRLC) season, allowing them to officiate across all five PNGNRLC-run competitions. The accreditation process forms part of PNGRFL’s commitment to strengthening standards and professionalism within the game. 

The workshop is part of an ongoing capacity-building initiative organized by PNGRFL and PNGNRLC to improve match officiating and game delivery in Papua New Guinea.

Greer Beck, QRL Development Coach – Match Officials, who facilitated the workshop, spoke on its importance.

“At the moment, we’re focusing on ensuring PNG referees are accredited under NRL guidelines. This ensures they hold the correct accreditation standards so that if they were to officiate games in Australia, they would already meet Australian accreditation requirements,” Beck said.

PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hondina delivered the closing remarks and congratulated the participants.

“I’m pleased to see all of you complete this two-day workshop, and I thank Greer Beck for facilitating these sessions since last year. Workshops like this are important in preparing referees for our five competitions. Congratulations to all of you for making the cut for the 2026 season. Take ownership of your development, prepare thoroughly, and deliver at a high standard,” Hondina said.

James Tau Amos, a referee since 2018 attached to Lae Rugby League, shared his perspective.

“This would be my seventh time attending such a workshop since I started refereeing. One area I want to improve on after this is working more effectively with the touch judges and improving referee positioning during matches,” Amos said.

Heavenly Paul, who officiates in the Santos Cup, National Youth Competition, and the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup, also shared her experience.

“I have been officiating since 2021 and have attended several workshops since then. Although this can be a challenging career, I proudly stand as a representative and role model for other women who wish to follow this path. If men can play and officiate the game, women can, too,” Paul said.

PC: Supplied