Rapatona F.C.
| Full name | Rapatona Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Raps |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Ground |
Bisini Park Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Manager | Kisakiu Posman |
| League | Port Moresby Super League |
Rapatona FC (formerly known as the CMSS Rapatona FC under sponsorship of CMSS then Inspac Rapatona FC under the sponsorship of Inspac) is a Papua New Guinea football club, based in Port Moresby currently competing in the Port Moresby Soccer Association and the Telikom National Soccer League. As of 2015, the club is being sponsored by Posman Kua Aisi Lawyers and is also referred to as PKA Rapatona F.C.
The club’s history goes back to 1971. In that year two Scotsmen employed by the Public Works Department (PWD) started an inter-section or inter-departmental soccer competition. From that competition, a decision was made to enter a team in the Port Moresby Soccer Association (PMSA). The team was called Public Works Department or PWD. PWD dominated the PMSA competition starting in 1972 to about 1978. Members of the PWD team also dominated the PNG National team in that period.
The late Tianum Kau one of those players also played football with the Marconi Stallions Football Club in Sydney, Australia, making him perhaps the first from PNG to play professional football.
In the early eighties, a decision was made to change the name of the club. The name change from PWD to Rapatona took place in 1982.
The name Rapatona is derived from the name of the Local Level Government Area of Rapatona in the Manus Province, which constitutes the Rambutso, Pak, Tong and Nauna Islands. This is where some of the founding fathers of the club, such as the late David Tasion, late Alfred Daniel, Peter Tiran, and players such as Kisakiu Posman, Chalapan Kaluwin, and Maso Salaiyau, originate from.
Rapatona FC currently competes in the Port Moresby Super League previously known as Port Moresby Premier Division. In 2007, under the sponsorship of Inspac PNG Ltd, Rapatona entered the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League changing their name to Inspac Rapatona FC. In their debut season, they finished 4th. In 2009, CMSS PNG Ltd, a South Korean company took over sponsorship of the club and the club was renamed to CMSS Rapatona Tigers. In the season 2010/2011 the club was renamed to Moresby Casino Hotel FC.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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