One of Oceania football's most experienced club owners says the time has come to talk about the O-League turning professional.
Hekari United have been club champions in Papua New Guinea for close to a decade and won the O-League title in 2010, representing Oceania at that's year's FIFA Club World Cup.
Hekari United players celebrate scoring a goal against Tafea FC. Photo: Oceania Football
Team owner and chairman, John Kapi Natto, says a lot of domestic leagues in the region are weak and he's recruited heavily for the O-League in order to be competitive.
But he says such investment may not be sustainable.
"For me and for Auckland and for others [like] Amicale - I think the three of us are the ones that are digging out of our pocket for the last ten or nine years in spending our resources into football, and the return that we get is minimal. I hope someday, or sooner, OFC looks into a professional concept, so that each person could look at a return in their organisation, so that we're not doing a lottery for a short space of time and we're spending half a million to a million dollars".
John Kapi Natto says the concept of a professional club competition in Oceania has been floated in the past and he believes there is enough interest from teams, fans and sponsors to make it work.
Auckland City celebrate beating Amicale FC in the final of the 2014 Oceania Champions League. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
