Tofaga FC is a Tuvalu football club from Vaitupu, playing in the Tuvalu A-Division.
 | |||
| Full name | Tofaga Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | Tuvalu Sports Ground, Funafuti, Tuvalu | ||
| Capacity | 1,500 | ||
| League | Tuvalu A-Division | ||
| 2021 | 1st[1] | ||
|
| |||
The team's home ground is the Tuvalu Sports Ground,[2] on Funafuti, which is the only football field in Tuvalu. Tofaga plays on an amateur level, as do all the teams in Tuvalu. They also have a reserve squad and a women's team.
History
editThe team was originally name Vatokami and was founded in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Paulson Panapa and Tapugao Falefou were the team’s well-known players. In 1997 the team won its first prize, the Benson and Hedges Cup.[3] The team won the Independence Cup (held to recognise the independence of Tuvalu) in 1998.[3]
In 2005, the team changed its name to Tofaga.[4]
Toakai Puapua was coach from 2006 to 2008. He was also the football coach of Tuvalu during the 2007 South Pacific Games.[5]
Tofaga won the NBT Cup and the Independence Cup in 2006. After that, the club regularly won cups; the NBT Cup in 2007, 2008 and 2011, and three prizes in 2010 (Tuvalu Games, Independence Cup and Christmas Cup). Tofaga won the Independence Cup 5 times, and the team has also won the NBT Cup 9 times, and was the runner-up 4 times.[3]
Tofaga’s only win of the Tuvalu A-Division competition was in 2021,[3] although its players, including Alopua Petoa[6] and James Lepaio,[7] were topscorers in the Tuvalu A-Division competition, in 2011, 2012, 2019 & 2021, and Alopua Petoa is the topscorer with the Tuvalu national football team with 11 goals in his international career.[8][9][10]
Tofaga was the runner-up in the 2023 Tuvalu A-Division competition.[11] Tofaga won the NBT Cup in 2023, beating Vaoloa 2-1.[11] The team included Etimoni Timuani (defender), James Lepaio (midfielder) and Alopua Petoa (striker).[12]
Honours
edit
League
edit- Tuvalu A-Division
- Winners (1): 2021[1]
The Tofaga reserve team has been the B-Team Champions 5 times: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013 & 2021.[1]
Cup
edit- Tuvalu Games
- Independence Cup
- NBT Cup
- Christmas Cup
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Tuvalu - List of Champions". Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Tuvalu - Stadiums". Prepared and maintained by Carlos Santos for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Tuvalu - List of Cup Winners". Prepared and maintained by Carlos Santos for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa - Oceania NÃO FIFA article".
- ^ "Super sub Sekifu leaves Tahiti red-faced". Football Federation of American Samoa. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa". National Football Teams.
- ^ James Lepaio at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Alopua PETOA". footballdatabase.eu 2007-2023. 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "Interview with Alopua Petoa". Oceania No FIFA. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa - Algemeen Dagblad article". DPG Media B.V. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Tuvalu - Tuvalu 2023". Prepared and maintained by Carlos Santos and Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "FC Tofaga Tuvalu A-Division (1. League) / 2nd Rank". National Football Teams. 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.