Wellington Football Club are pleased to announce that Faa’tonu Fili will return in 2025 as the Director of Coaching and Development. He will be again joined by Premier Head Coach Lua Lokotui, Assistant Coach Esava Tiko and management team of Pama Mativa (Head Manager), Tank (Gear Manager), Max (Assistant Manager), Tuga Mativa (Trainer) and SalΔ Saina Mikaio (Mental Skills). Please join us in congratulating Faa’tonu, Lua, Esava and team on their reappointment and wishing them every success in season 2025.
“Fa’atonu Fili first played for the Samoa national rugby sevens team in 2001, and later played at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth games. He later played for the Samoa national rugby union team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He played for the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup in 2009, becoming 1st choice fly half and earning a recall for Samoa. He again played for Wellington in 2010 and 2014. Fili was also named in the 1999 RWC squad for Samoa.
In 2017 he played his 200th game for Marist St Pats”
“Lua Lokotui played for Tonga at the 2011 and the 2015 Rugby World Cup squads and was part of the team that defeated France 19-14 in Wellington.
Lua Lokotui played for Stade Francais and Béziers in France, Kintetsu Liners in Japan, Wellington and Hawkes Bay in New Zealand and Gloucester in England”
“Esava Tiko is a former Fijian 7s representative. He was part of the Fijian 7s team that beat New Zealand in Wellington. Esava represented Wairarapa-Bush and Ngati Porou East Coast. If you tired, dont tired”.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Lapana (Jeff) Makupelu for his contribution to the history of the Wellington Football Club. Pana joined us in 2023 and quickly became a popular and hard-working volunteer, coach, player and Director Of Rugby. Pana has departed the club however we wish him and his young family all the best for the future.
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