Somare Shield returns

By GYNNIE KERO
THE Somare Shield soccer tournament gets underway in Wewak, East Sepik tomorrow with 60 teams confirmed to compete.
Wewak Football Association president Judith Kumasi said the week-long competition would conclude next Sunday with matches be played at the Somare Stadium, Pora Oval and Kapok field.
Kumasi said the tournament would help develop the sport and foster community spirit.
She credited her father, retired pilot captain Joseph Brian Urumau Kumasi, for his advice and guidance since her ascension to the president’s role in 2022.
She said bringing back the tournament after 17 years was an honour and emotional occasion for those involved.
Addressing the people during the third anniversary of the passing of Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare in Wewak in February, local MP Stanley Muts Samban had said one way of uniting the people especially the youths was through the tournament.
Samban said one of Wewak District Development Authority’s objectives was instilling discipline and good sportsmanship through sports such as soccer.
The DDA and other stakeholders helped with funding to bring back the annual tournament to Wewak town.
The tournament has been part of the local sports calendar and has positively influenced participants and united the people.
Some teams which participated during the 1990s and 2000s include Posing Kuia Rangers, Wewak United and BC Medics.
The tournament stopped in 2007 which according to former Wewak Football Association secretary Frank Dimi, was due to financial constraints.
Tournament champions win the Somare Shield and K10,000 while the runners-up get K8,000. The other place getters see third place receive K6,000 and the team in fourth gets K4,000.
Judith said her father had been a close friend of Sir Michael and the return of the tournament would be a poignant moment for him.
Judith recalled how her father Kumasi used to fly the Grand Chief as his chief pilot back in the late 1980s.
“My father flew late Grand Chief, in the Kumul, to many countries,” she posted on Facebook.
“On several flights, I’d be in the back seat of the Kumul, watching in a distance, Sir Michael and his Ministers. It was a priceless experience.”