WITH no funding in sight, Thanda Royal Zulu FC is to be placed on the market.
‘It is with great sadness and regret, but having no alternative in the absence of any sponsorship, that we must bid Zululand farewell.
‘Our intention now is to place the club on the open market for sale to likely bidders from around the country,’ Thanda Chairman Pierre Delvaux told the Zululand Observer on Tuesday.
‘Sadly, the club is unable to sustain its operations. As a result, Zululand will lose the only professional soccer club that was prepared to be based in our area.
‘Ironically, only Richards Bay was able to draw crowds of 5 000 to 10 000 spectators, unlike anything else in the NFD around the country.
‘We feel we have done everything to develop exciting young players from our region and district and have managed to royally entertain spectators,’ said Delvaux.
‘The painful lesson we can learn from this last season, is that without a main corporate sponsor, or any sponsorship for that matter, it is extremely difficult to perform at a level to get promoted.
‘Lack of funding severely impacts on the club’s ability to offer sufficient incentives to stay ahead of a very competitive and cut-throat pack.
‘Head Coach Thami Ngubane, who finished last season’s 15 games unbeaten for Thanda, was lured away with more money by the Durban-based Royal Eagles FC when he learnt late last year that Thanda no longer had a main sponsor.
‘When the City of uMhlathuze and uThungulu District Municipality stepped in late last year with short-term emergency funding, we believed that promotion was definitely possible and did everything to achieve that objective.
‘Unfortunately, to shoot for promotion by the end of the season, additional funds were needed from the private sector, but regrettably none materialised.
‘Our only real sense of achievement was in producing the top goal scorer in the whole PSL in Ace Bhengu, who has been selected to train with Bafana Bafana.
‘Added to that is all of the Under 23 youngsters from our district who we have developed and introduced to the professional game for all to see, which makes me very proud of what can indeed be achieved in Zululand.’
Supporters thanked
Delvaux praised Bell Equipment who sponsored the club for over four years ‘even through their tough times’, and established its youth development programme.
‘I thank uMhlathuze Municipality for allowing us to use the Richards Bay stadium for the past five years, as well as both the City and uThungulu District Municipality for their gracious funding support late last year.
‘This enabled the club to at least see through the end of the season without embarrassment.
‘I also thank Dave Savides and his team at the Zululand Observer, Ernst Loser who stood by me and who believed in us as well as the local supporters who continue to turn up at every local game and even travel with us to show support for away games.’
