The general consensus amongst commentators throughout the season has been of a meteoric rise never before achieved by a team in the league.
Following the team’s 2-1 win at the weekend over Spirit 08, Erakor has secured second spot behind recently-crowned title winners Amicale, despite the defending champions losing 1-0 to Tafea.
With the runners-up title in the bag, Erakor have qualified as one of the league’s top three sides, earning a spot in the newly-reformatted National Super League and a shot at representing Vanuatu in the 2014 OFC Champions League.
Erakor is well-known as a village with a long footballing history.
Prior to and during the early years of independence, the village of Erakor – together with the surrounding villages of Mele, Ifira Tenuku and Pango – provided the strongest competition with championship titles and silverware often being scooped up by clubs originating from these villages.
Erakor-raised former footballing greats include brothers Bretin and Roger Waote and other household family names in Vanuatu such as the Sablans, Kalorouks, Roqaras, Carlots, Wanemut and, more recently, the Kaltaks.
But in 1990 Erakor virtually disintegrated, folding shortly after relinquishing the championship title to Tafea, who laid claim to the title for the following decade.
The football-crazy village had to wait 20 years before re-emerging into the limelight in 2011 with a new generation of players helping the side progress through the lower divisions before eventually earning their place in the premier league.
The emerging talents helping guide the side to glory include the Kaltak siblings, Brian, Jean and Tony, who are joined by the Roqara siblings, Nemani and Abraham.
Together the two families are walking in the footsteps of their fathers and playing a prominent part in the club’s resurrection in the process.
The youngsters were all part of the first intake of the Vanuatu Football Academy, a FIFA-funded Goal Project.
For a club which only earned the right to play in the premier league at the beginning of this year, to scoop second prize is, in itself, an achievement.
For the team to lose two and draw one of the season’s 14 matches is also remarkable and to finish the season just two points behind the victors is yet another achievement never before completed by a side in their first year in Port Vila’s top competition.
Team manager Donald Wanemut says the season has been quite remarkable for the team.
“At the beginning of this year, and given the average age of our players is 18-years-old, our plan was for Erakor Golden Star to be in the top five at the end of the championship,” Wanemut says.
“The boys are really happy to take out second place.”
The team is now focusing on a new goal – success in the National Super League – and while other sides may break for the festive season, the boys from Erakor will continue training together as they await the competition’s kick-off.
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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