Port Moresby Chiefs weigh stadium expansion

Fans turned out in force

The PNG Chiefs say their replica jersey will cost K99 ($32), aiming to keep merchandise affordable for local supporters.

PNG's 2026 minimum wage is K5 ($1.59) an hour.

The club's first jersey was unveiled in Port Moresby last week at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister James Marape and Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, with sponsorship estimated to be worth $20 million.

"We had a conversation with (NRL executive chairman) Peter V'landys where we said we know the market and what will work in PNG," chief executive Lorna McPherson said.

"If you're going to build a team and you're going to build your following and your fan base, you have to listen to your customers."

The Chiefs enter the NRL in 2028 and will play at Port Moresby's National Football Stadium, which currently holds 15,000 people.

The venue was sold out for Saturday's World Cup match between the Kumuls and Samoa, but has limited corporate boxes, little shade and no working wi-fi in its open-air press box.

Only Cronulla's Shark Park has a comparable attendance limit among NRL clubs.

McPherson told AAP the Chiefs would consider increasing capacity after their first season.

"We can take this from 15,000 to 25,000 easily," McPherson told AAP.

"I don't want to do that for day one because I want to make sure that the security and broadcast people work, so let's walk before we run."

"But I do want to build another 15 to 20 corporate boxes."

Ticket prices are still being developed, with McPherson saying an announcement may come around September.

"We're working on the price of tickets, so I can't tell you what that's going to look like just now."

"We've got a little bit of breathing space now, and maybe around September time we'll be ready to announce that."

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