Eastern Stars F.C.

History

Eastern Stars FC were founded in July 2007 following concern from Milne Bay residents that the lack of clubs in the area had led to many local players joining Port Moresby-based teams; the club's name is derived from "the star from the East", a symbol that features on the Milne Bay provincial flag.

Stars took part in the National Soccer League for the first time in the 2008–09 season, finishing in fifth place – just one point short of qualification for the semi-finals.

2009–10 saw similar results for Stars: they again finished in fifth position, and this time only a poor goal difference denied them a place in the semi-finals. The club struggled in the first half of the season, having a six-game winless streak between November and January, but managed to win their last five games to soar up the table. They were edged into fifth place by University Inter FC who had a superior goal difference.

Eastern Stars finished as runners-up to PRK Hekari United in the 2010–11 season. This remains their best-ever finish in the league. After qualifying for the semi-finals, Stars came up against Tukoko Unitech and won 3–1, with Solomon Islander Karol Kakate among the scorers. This win put the club in the final against PRK Hekari United, but they lost 4–0.

In October 2011, ahead of the 2011–12 season, the club appointed Luis Jaime Gomez as its new head coach. Gomez played professional football for Chilean club Club Deportivo Universidad Católica in the 1960s and 1970s. Stars made a great start to the 2011–12 season, winning their opening match on 16 October 2011 against Petro Souths FC 7–0 with two goals from Lab Embel. The club won three, drew four and lost two of the next nine games, lying in second place at the league's winter break in December. However, midway through the season Gomez left the club, and franchise owner Joseph Ealedona installed himself as team manager. Eastern Stars eventually finished as league runners–up to Hekari, and were beaten 5–0 by the same team in the league final on 17 April 2012 in front of a 5,000-strong crowd. Stars received K25,000 for their achievements.

In April 2012, a total of six Eastern Stars players were included in Papua New Guinea's 30-man squad for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, held in the Solomon Islands; namely Paul Peter, Jeremy Yasasa, Cyril Muta, Michael Foster, Eliud Fugre and Felix Bondaluk. On 2 August 2012, it was reported former Eastern Stars and Papua New Guinea midfielder Adrian Komu had died at Port Moresby General Hospital at the age of 29.

In December 2012, Stars' participation in the 2013 NSL season was thrown into doubt when the NSL board reported that only three clubs had met payment deadlines for the new season; Stars were not among them, and only an additional three places were available in the league despite six other clubs registering their interest. The club finally confirmed its inclusion in the league on 25 January 2013, just one week before the start of the season; the PNG Post Courier reported that they were one of two "late-comers" along with NC Oro. Following a mass exodus of players at the end of the 2011–12 campaign, the club appointed former Papua New Guinea national team assistant manager Max Foster as its coach for the new season. Stars faced NC Oro in the league's opening fixture of 2013, and despite fielding an entirely new squad from 2012, Stars defeated their opponents 3–1, thanks to a Patrick Aisa brace and Danny Banaba. However, Stars' plight was downhill from then on, and they eventually finished sixth out of the eight teams – the lowest finish in the club's history.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable former players

Former Eastern Stars players who have represented their country include: