Lahi United F.C.

Lahi United FC, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Snax Lahi United FC, is a semi-professional association football club based in Lae, Papua New Guinea. The club was founded in 2017.

Lahi United
Full nameSnax Lahi United Football Club
Founded2017
ChairmanGiob Gariki
ManagerEmuka Tinge
LeagueNational Soccer League
2019Northern Conference: 4th

The side made their competitive debut in the inaugural edition of the Papua New Guinea National Premier League, finishing 5th in the Northern Conference.[1] In 2019, they took part in the 2019 edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, finishing 4th in the Northern Conference.[2]

History

The club was founded sometime in 2017, shortly before the first edition of the Papua New Guinea National Premier League.[3] The side were drawn into the Northern Conference alongside the likes of Markham FC, Morobe FC and Laiwaden FC, but had a poor season despite high expectations.[4] They picked up three victories, against Morobe, Laiwaden and Bulolo United, but could only finish fifth out of six teams, failing to qualify for the next stage.[1]

In late 2018, it was revealed that the side, under the new name of Snax Lahi FC, had expressed their interest in competing in the 2019 National Soccer League.[5] Their official application was later accepted, and they were drawn into the Northern Conference.[6]

The side made a decent start to their campaign, drawing 0–0 with former NPL rivals Markham FC on the opening day,[7] before a 2–0 victory over Besta PNG United on 2 February.[8] However, their form trailed off as they lost three of their next four games.[2]

In March 2019, chairman of the club Giob Gariki died after suffering two heart attacks.[9] Their immediately subsequent match against Markham FC was postponed.

The club eventually finished 4th out of eight teams in the Northern Conference, with four wins, three draws and six defeats, some way off the points required to qualify for the playoffs.[2]

Domestic Record

National Competitions

References
  1. "Papua New Guinea 2017". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  2. "Papua New Guinea 2019". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
  3. "NPL set to kick off with 10 franchises". Post Courier. 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. "Premier league starts". The National. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  5. "NSL organisers call for teams to meet deadline". The National. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  6. "NSL set to kick off on January 26". Post Courier. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  7. "Wawens go down despite fight back". Post Courier. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  8. "United claim first win". The National. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  9. "Lae soccer mourns Gariki death". The National. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
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