In their bid to combat law and order issues through sports, the West New Britain (WNB) Provincial Government has thrown in their support with a sum of K700, 000 to help support the Kimbe Cutters this year.
Talasea MP Freddie Reu Kumai said, since the establishment of the Kimbe Cutters in 2019 the WNB Provincial Government has since then been the major sponsor for the team and now the Talasea District Development Authority (DDDA) has also partnered with the team to be one of its sponsors.
Kumai said, “The objective of the partnership is to expose the young talent in the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup level. It’s a pathway for our young ones to gain a placing or to be recognized by the SP PNG Hunters or the PNG Kumuls team.”
“Talasea District has come on board during the beginning of the season with a commitment of K300, 000 to support the team.”
He added that the WNBPG also funded K200, 000 through the Provincial Services Improvements Projects (PSIP) as well as an additional K200, 000 support from the WNB Trust Funds account, which all comes under the WNB Provincial Government.
“The most important thing is that we want our local players and West New Britain to be represented in the national Digicel ExxonMobil Cup competition. In that way we are addressing the issue on law and order.”
“It’s not about always using the Police force. It’s also about Sports being used as an avenue to address these issues. ”
Kumai thanked the WNB Governor for his continued support and urged the team to be thankful for such support because the process to receive such funding takes time.
Meanwhile, WNB Governor Sasindran Muthuvel said, they are happy to see additional support coming from the Talasea DDA. He said, they will not only support rugby league but continue to support the other sporting codes as well.
“Right now, the Provincial Government is only supporting the team, but as we go on, I am appealing to all the corporate companies in the province to help support our teams like the Kimbe Cutters because they carry our name when participating in various sports competitions.”
He also made mention that the Kimbe Cutters team will soon have a permanent home after they discuss and finalize funding for the next project.