Phnom Penh Crown’s story began in 2001, a year after the Cambodian Football Federation got the Cambodian Premier League competition back on its feet, with the birth of Samart United, so-named after their communication sponsors. In only their second year in existence, and led by celebrated international striker Hok Sochetra, they captured the Cambodian League Championship for the first time. As champions they took part in the prestigious Asean Club Championship, losing to the reigning title holders, Petrokimia Putra of Indonesia.
In 2005, after a couple of years of hibernation due to lack of sponsorship, the Premier League restarted and Hello United, the new name adopted by Samart, finished the campaign in second place before losing 3-0 to champions Khemara in the play-off final. At the start of the season, the club took part in the AFC President’s Cup for the first time, losing in the opening round of games despite a 2-1 success over Pakistan champions WAPDA. Another change of name to Phnom Penh United, heralded the 2006 season, in which the club finished in top spot after a shortened regular season, but lost out in the play-off final again to Khemara, narrowly losing 5-4 in front of a crowd of 10,000 at the National Olympic Stadium.
Joining forces with the Khmer Empire team, another new moniker was adopted, Phnom Penh Empire, for the 2007 season, in which the team finished in third place behind the league champions NagaCorp. The following season, 2008, proved to be the club’s most successful ever, with a league and cup double to celebrate, the first by any club. The Premier League Championship was won with a six point gap over runners-up, the National Defense Ministry, and a single goal by Anucha Chuaisri was enough to claim the Samdech Hun Sen Cup, 1-0 against Preah Khan Reach.
A disappointing showing in the 2009 end of season play-offs saw the club, now named Phnom Penh Crown after their main sponsors Crown Casino, finish in fourth spot, despite ending the regular season in first place, six points clear of the rest of the pack. A 1-0 victory in the Samdech Hun Sen Cup Final over Naga Corp, with a goal from Keo Sokngon, did provide some consolation. In two regional competitions, the AFC President’s Cup and the Singapore Cup, Crown earned themselves many plaudits with their performances, in particular a 2-0 win over Young Lions in the Singapore Cup saw them progress through to the quarter-finals before Thailand’s Bangkok Glass knocked them out over two legs.
In 2010, Crown captured the Metfone Cambodia League Premier title for the third time, beating Preah Khan Reach 4-3 in the play-off final, after only managing fourth spot in the regular domestic campaign. They were denied a second league and cup double when they lost 3-2 in the Samdech Hun Sen Cup Final to the National Defense Ministry. At the season’s end, the successful partnership of manager Makara Be and coach Apisit Im Ampahi left the club to work in Thailand.
2011 saw Croatian coach Bojan Hodak in charge of the team until his move to China midway through the season. His replacement, experienced Englishman David Booth took over and guided the club to their fourth Cambodian League title at the end of the domestic league campaign. The Singapore Armed Forces extinguished their RHB Singapore Cup interest in the 1st round, but a successful qualifying tournament held in Phnom Penh saw Crown progress to the prestigious AFC President’s Cup final stage in Chinese Taipei in September. With victories over Neftchi and Yadanarbon in the group stage, Crown met hosts Taiwan Power Company in the competition final, going down 3-2 in a fiery encounter. In 2011, the club also commenced their residential Academy with the long-term plan of developing youth football in Cambodia.
In 2012, the club finished a disappointing fifth in the Metfone C-League championship. They were knocked out of the Hun Sen Cup in the quarter-finals and despite qualifying from the group stages held in Phnom Penh, were soundly beaten in the final stages of the AFC President’s Cup in Tajikistan. A new coach, Swiss-national Sam Schweingruber, was installed before the start of the 2013 season. In the pre-season Hun Sen Cup, Crown finished in third place, a feat they would repeat in the regular Metfone C-League season. In the league’s play-off semi-final, they lost 4-3 to the eventual champions Svay Rieng. The 2014 season began indifferently with a quarter-final exit from the Hun Sen Cup but from 1 March the team went on an unbeaten run of fifteen matches in the Metfone C-League, with George Bisan finding the net regularly and ending the season on 20 goals. Crown deservedly clinched their 5th Championship title losing just two matches in their league campaign, ending the season with a seven point gap over their nearest challengers and as the league’s leading goalscorers. With the completion of the 6,000-seater RSN Stadium in June 2015, a new chapter in the Phnom Penh Crown story began and Crown rewarded their supporters by claiming their 6th title success in a thrilling climax to the 2015 Championship season, beating Nagaworld on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate scoreline in the two-legged Play-off Final. Crown finished the regular season in second-place behind Boeungket though showed their class in the play-offs to add a sixth star above their club crest. Joint top goalscorers Shane Booysen and George Bisan each bagged 24 goals apiece in another memorable season for the club.
For 2016, Spanish coach Oriol Mohedano has taken over from two-times champion coach Schweingruber, with the latter moving up to general manager ahead of the new season.
