MAKING PNG CHIEFS A TEAM FOR EVERY PAPUA NEW GUINEAN REMAINS BIGGEST CHALLENGE
By Abagain Mara
Ensuring that every Papua New Guinean feels a sense of belonging to the PNG Chiefs is the biggest challenge facing the team’s management.
PNG Chiefs Chief Executive Officer Lorna McPherson highlighted this during her speech at the recent DATEC’s Women Empowering Leadership event.
McPherson said the biggest challenge was not stadium development, player recruitment or commercial operations, but ensuring that the team represents everyone across the country.
“For me, the hardest part is to actually make sure that the team belong to every single person in Papua New Guinea,” she said.
McPherson also highlighted the importance of cultural representation in the team’s identity, explaining that the logo and jersey incorporate traditional designs and symbols from different provinces.
“We had Papua New Guinean designers, we had lots of different focus groups on the brand, we had different approaches as well on the logo,” McPherson said.
Acknowledging the public’s differing opinions on the team’s branding, McPherson added, “We always knew that we were going to be damned if we did, and we were going to be damned if we didn’t, because everybody has an opinion.”
McPherson said the team’s success would depend not only on its growth but also on ensuring that people in rural communities feel connected to it.
