Kema Jack: a football legend of Papua New Guinea

Football in Papua New Guinea is booming – the new format of the PNG National Soccer League is attracting many fans to the stadiums, and local talent is being duly recognised on the long road ahead as football develops in the country. In the past, many important personalities have helped to create a basis for the improvement of football in Papua New Guinea; personalities such as Michael Foster, David Muta and Raymond Gunemba are already in the final stages of their football careers, but they have opened the door for a younger generation to further spread the culture of football in the country. One of these key figures of the past decade in Papua New Guinean football is former Hekari United and Kapuls striker Kema Jack, a true legend of football in his country, who helped Papua New Guinea gain worldwide recognition in the footballing world.

Jack spent most of his career with Papua New Guinean giants Hekari United and retired from that level of football in 2015. Jack represented the Papua New Guinea national team at the 2012 OFC Nations Cup in Solomon Islands. The team were eliminated in the group stage, but Jack managed to score once in the competition.

The striker played seven editions of the OFC Champions League for Hekari United between 2008 and 2015 – Jack is the Papua New Guinea player with the most appearances in the regional tournament, 30 in all, with only Raymond Gunemba being the Papua New Guinean who scored more goals in the OFC Champions League than Kema Jack.

Certainly the most important edition of the OFC Champions League played by Jack was the in 2009/10, when Hekari became the first non-Australian or New Zealand club to win the competition. Jack played an important role in the competition, scoring six goals in the entire tournament being three in the two final matches against New Zealand club Waitakere United.

The regional glory qualified Hekari for an amazing trip to the United Arab Emirates, where they represented the OFC at the FIFA Club World Cup. A 3-0 defeat to United Arab Emirates national champions Al-Wahda did not erase the Port Moresby club’s magnificent achievement. Jack played every 90 minutes of Hekari United’s most important game.

To complete his remarkable career, Kema Jack also won three Golden Boot Awards in the PNG National Soccer League, making him one of the most celebrated Papua New Guinean footballers of his time. Since retiring, Jack has returned to his origins, playing in local amateur football tournaments in Ringo District in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea.