Full name | Blue Kumuls Soccer Club |
---|---|
Founded | bef. 1980's |
League | Papua New Guinea National Soccer League |
2019 | Highlands Conference: 2nd Quarter-Finals |
Blue Kumuls is a semi-professional association football club based in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea. The club was founded sometime before 1980's.
The club has taken part in three editions of the Papua New Guinea National Club Championship with their best finish coming in 2005 when they finished fourth. They also finished as runners-up in the Highlands Regional League on two occasions. [1] [2]
The club is currently under the leadership of Elias Wapsiat and is taking part in the 2019 edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, and are through to the playoffs after having finished second in the Highlands Conference. In 2021/2022 season, Blue Kumuls Football Club merged with Aporo Mai of Kutubu form Ape Aporo FC and we finished first in the highlands conference undefeated. Unfortunately we could not make it to semi-finals. We lost to Lae Natives of Lae, Morobe Province [3] [4]
The first records of the club playing competitively was in the 1997 Papua New Guinea National Club Championship. However, the side failed to make an impact on the competition. [5] The club also took part in the 1998 edition, but also failed to make the knockout stages. [6]
In 1999, the club took part in the Highlands Regional League and topped their pool. It is unclear whether the side won the competition. [7] However, in 2001, the side returned, and were beaten in the final by Momads. [1] This fate was repeated four years later when the side fell 3–1 against Momads in the Grand Final. [2] The two sides were due to play in the following season's final on 21 May 2006, but the match was abandoned at half-time due to bad light and never rescheduled. [8] Later that year, the club took part in the Papua New Guinea National Club Championship for the second time. They placed bottom of their pool behind Sobou FC, University and West United. [8]
The side reached the 2008 Highlands Regional League final for the fourth time, where they were set to play Momads again. However, the match was not played due to an appeal over the eligibility of some of the Momads team – now operating under the name of Welgris Highlanders – having played in the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League earlier in the season. [9]
The side's competitive record is unclear until late 2018, when it was confirmed they would be competing in the 2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League in the Highlands Conference. [10] The side had a slow start to the competition, drawing 1–1 with Simbu Angra on the opening day, [11] before a 4–2 win over Aporo Mai was followed by a 3–0 defeat at the hands of Mount Hagen FC. [3] [12] A win against Enga Laima was followed by a defeat to unbeaten leaders Kagua Erave, leaving the side third on seven points at the halfway stage, three behind Mount Hagen in second. [3] [13] A 2–0 reverse victory against Mount Hagen on 23 March was enough to draw them level with their local rivals, [14] and two wins from their next four – including an incredible 10–4 victory against Simbu Angra which helped them overturn their goal difference deficit – was enough to qualify them for the next round in second place behind Kagua Erave. [3] [4] [15] The side were drawn against four-time champions Toti City in the playoff quarter-finals, and went down 8–1. [16]
Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its provincial capital is the town of Mendi. According to Papua New Guinea's national 2011 census, the total population of Southern Highlands is 515,511 spread across 15,089 square kilometers (5,826 sq mi).
Ialibu is a small township in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, serving as the headquarters for the Ialibu-Pangia District. It also caters for the Imbongungu speaking people of the Imbonggu Electorate. Ialibu is the transit point into the Kagua-Erave Electorate. The construction route of the Gulf Highway.
Morobe United FC, formerly known as Blue Kumuls (1970s–2005), Shorncliffe Blue Kumuls (2005), Tuguba Laitepo Blue Kumuls (2006), Morobe Kumuls FC (2007), Gigira Laitepo Morobe FC, Gigira Laitepo Central Coast FC (2011–12), and Welgris Morobe United FC, are a Papua New Guinea professional soccer club founded in the 1970s and based in Lae.
Welgris Highlanders, formerly known as Welgris Momads, was a semi-professional Papua New Guinean soccer club based in Mount Hagen, but playing their home games in Goroka.
Kagua-Erave District is a district of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Kagua. The population was 74,139 at the 2011 census.
The KPHL National Soccer League, also known as the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited National Soccer League for sponsorship reasons, is the men's top division of professional soccer in Papua New Guinea. It is a nationwide league formed in 2006 by Papua New Guinea Football Association.
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The 2006 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League season was the first edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, and the first ever semi-professional football competition held in the country.
The 2019 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited National Soccer League, was the 13th edition of Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, the top-tier football league in Papua New Guinea. It started on 26 January 2019. Toti City F.C. were the defending champions.
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Kagua-Erave FC, sometimes stylised as Kagua Erave FC, is a semi-professional association football club based in the Kagua-Erave District in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in 2018.
Mount Hagen FC, sometimes abbreviated to Mt Hagen FC, is a semi-professional association football club based in Mount Hagen, Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in late 2018.
Enga Laima FC is a semi-professional association football club based in Wabag in the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in 2019.
Simbu Angra FC, sometimes spelled Chimbu Angra FC, is a semi-professional association football club based in Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in 2019.
The 2019–20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, for sponsorship reasons also known as the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited National Soccer League, was the 14th edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, the top-tier soccer league in Papua New Guinea. The league began on 14 December 2019, after being postponed three times due to late registration fees, and finished on 10 October 2020, after almost a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FC Kutubu was a semi-professional association football club based in the Hekari Province near Kutubu, Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in 2019, and was the parent club of Aporo Mai FC.
The 2021 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, for sponsorship reasons also known as the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited National Soccer League, is the 15th edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, the top-tier football league in Papua New Guinea. The league started on 24 July.