PNG Hekari FC players celebrate a goal at the OFC Pro League 2026.
Photo: OFC Media via Phototek
With 10 losses and only eight points after 14 matches, the wooden spooners in the inaugural season of the OFC Pro League believe the competition has offered them valuable development opportunities.
PNG Hekari FC have had a tough learning curve, finsihing at the bottom of the points table during the regular season, and sitting last in the Challengers group as they head into their final game of the season against Solomon Kings FC on Wednesday.
For the Papua New Guineans, there were signs early on that their inaugural season in Oceania’s first-ever professional football experiment was not going to be easy.
From losing their head coach in the opening round, to competing against sides including national champions, the club appeared to have entered the competition carrying challenges few others faced.
While the other Pacific Island teams were able to draw from wider national player pools, PNG Hekari FC relied largely on their own local club members.
PNG Hekari FChad a tough learning curve at the inaugural OFC Pro League.
Photo: OFC Media via Phototek
The club’s general manager Wira Wama said rivalries amongst local clubs in PNG made it difficult to secure players from other domestic teams.
“Back home we have rivalry. There are clubs that compete with Hekari in the National Soccer League. When we try to get players from other clubs, some of them could not release their players. But it’s okay. This is just the start of pro league and we give opportunity to our own players,” he said.
However, Wama is optimistic the rivalry can be overcome and Hekari can bring the nation’s best to future seasons of the OFC Pro League.
He said the competition benefits the development of the sport across the region, offering a pathway for domestic talent to make their professional debut.
“It [OFC Pro League] opens doors for island players. Now all these players are exposed to professional clubs around the world, and it’s a good pathway for all island players.”
Gusmao’s, right, exit means assistant coach Jerry Allan will assume responsibility for the team for the remainder of the season.
Photo: Shane Wenzlick / www.phototek.nz
PNG Hekari FC’s pro league debut was disrupted in the first round when head coach Marcos Gusmao resigned “due to personal and family reasons”.
Jerry Allan took over with his brother Jerry Sam as assistant coach.
Allan said facing teams who had brought in national players was a challenge, but they “learned a lot”.
He said the club’s position at the bottom of the table reflects the squad’s reality.
“We have a lot of players that come from the village. We are just a club, but the other countries came with the national players, so they have a little bit upper hand than us, but in terms in terms of competition, I think we matched them well.”
Despite them languishing at the bottom of the rankins, PNG Hekari FC pushed opponents in some contests, and defeated Vanuatu United FC and South Melbourne FC.
Goalkeeper Christinus Biasu said the season has been less about the points table more about the opportunities.
“It was a season to learn and to experience what the professional level of playing football is like,” he said.
“It is a new mindset that we need to bring to the playing field and even off the field, we were learning to be professionals because we have been in the amateur merger scene for quite a while, but the professional never.”
The competition pushed the team to grow both mentally and professionally, he said.
“We have been believing in ourselves, in our team culture,in our abilities as individual players and also our contribution to the team. We have been losing a lot, but also in those times, I think we have been also learning to be resilient.”
‘We keep pushing’
PNG Hekari FC managed a 2-all draw against Tahiti United and a lost 3-1 to Vanuatu United in their first two matches in the the Challengers group. It means they are effectively out of running for a semifinal play-off place.
PNG Hekari FC’s pro league debut was disrupted in the first round when head coach Marcos Gusmao resigned “due to personal and family reasons”.
Photo: OFC Media via Phototek
But forward Rex Naime said that does not mean they will go easy on Solomon Kings FC as they head in to their final match at Go Media Stadium today.
“We face ups and downs, but we keep pushing till the last game. We have to finish the season with the high note. We have to win this game. We are looking forward to play.”
The match schedule for the final round of Challengers group games at Go Media Stadium in Auckland: Solomon Kings FC v PNG Hekari FC (3pm NZT); Tahiti United v Vanuatu United FC (7pm NZT )
All games are streamed live on FIFA+.
