By FRANCIS RODNEY PULU
CLOUDY Bay Football Club (FC) has stood tall amongst all the experienced teams in the divisional three of the Port Moresby Soccer Association (PMSA) season to eventually come home undefeated in the grand final contest.
Since entering the division as first timers, it was not a turning back for the club from the rural Cloudy Bay Local Level Government (LLG) of the Abau District in Central Province got other teams by surprise.
The club remained undefeated although out the season, taking the minor premiers and now wining the grand final last Sunday against Ormand FC with 1-0 points.
As new team in the block, the team consist of first-time players from the rural Cloudy Bay LLG who don’t have any PMSA experience and also the team consist of a first-time coach and team management who all don’t have any experience in competing in an established city league.
During the grand final, Sunday Bulletin had the opportunity to interview the team management as well as two officials from the Cloudy Bay LLG who purposely made their time available to watch the game.
Founding Club President, Malabag Imeha said he started the club this year after realizing that a lot of potential players in the Cloudy Bay LLG who come up to Port Moresby get disappeared without no recognition.
Imeha said the two main objectives of the club is to promote a new brain of soccer in the Cloudy Bay LLG and secondly for the players to be good role models in their own families, villages and the communities at large.
“So basically, that is the main aim of this club and that is also to make it grow thus setting a platform for modern soccer,” he said.
Imeha added that the beauty of the club is that all the players are school boys and are well disciplined both on and off the field.
“My boys are very disciplined. Sometimes I talk hard and scold them but they take it as an encouragement not to give up but to move on,” he said.
Imeha further said that as the minor premiers, they are moving up to division two but if PMSA sees their level of competition, it will be a bonus plus if they move one more step up to division one.
“I created this team and the team must go on so long as PMSA is here. My dream was that by 2024 we are looking at Cloudy Bay FC going into National Soccer League (NSL),” he said.
Richard Dubai, a former soccer player but has never coached a team said the team is made of raw talents where none of them have played at the PMSA level.
“This is my first time to coach and I am so happy to take up coaching as a fist timer and I will remain with this team as long as they are in the PMSA league, “he said.
Dubai said the team has a lot of potential and the level of skills are there but all it needs is to fine tune the players to become better.
“We just need to polish them up a bit and I hope one or two can make it into NSL or otherwise the team itself to go into NSL,” he said.
The grand final was also boosted with the presence of the President of the Cloudy Bay LLG, Frank Kapipi and one of his administration officers, Rex Topio whom both shared pleasing remarks.
Kapipi said it is indeed a proud moment for the team but the sad thing is that he never supported them from the start but it is not the end.
“I am regretting to watch them play today but let me say it is not the end and with the achievement, it is something very big for myself as a leader and I will be looking forward to giving my support next season,” he said.
Kapipi said the achievement is a great story for the Cloudy Bay LLG and the people back home.
Topio added that it is history in the making for sports in Cloudy Bay and also a proudest moment for the boys.
He was not only happy with the team’s performance in the finals but it was more exciting to see his son, Andrew Topio playing in the striker’s role and scoring the only goal in the second half to win the game.
