Tight budget for Tsho Tsho-Mani FC

A soccer team that started with only 10 players, Tsho Tsho-Mani FC, has progressed to a proper working team.

A group of young boys from Katlehong, approached Luvo Mafanya, a local soccer coach, and asked him to help them to get their team off the ground.

With the discovery of the raw soccer talent and skill he saw among the boys, Mafanya saw this as an opportunity to get them off the streets while developing their skills.

“I believe that football is cross-cultural and it helps these boys to express themselves and their talents,” Mafanya said.

Unfortunately, financial issues posed a threat for Mafanya and the team, as they did not have funding, which resulted in the team falling short of basic requirements such as soccer boots and kits.

It was only when Charles Prinsloo, the owner of Albemarle Pharmacy came into the picture, and offered sponsorship that things started looking better for the team’s existence.

With all the scams going around, Prinsloo asked Mafanya to prove that the letter he (Mafanya) presented to Prinsloo was real.

“I asked him to prove to me there was a team and, although it hadn’t been formally registered yet, it really did exist, and right there I decided to help,” Prinsloo said.

With Prinsloo on board, the team finally registered with the Katlehong Football Association and have a red-and-white striped kit that consists of 22 jerseys and shorts, pairs of socks and 10 soccer balls.

The budget is stretched with just one sponsor though.

“We try to stay positive, but we really are battling financially; we have to take money from our own pockets to pay for a tournament that we play in,” Mafanya added.

Mafanya and Prinsloo not only support the boys in soccer, they also teach them life skills, principles and discipline.

“The boys know, you drop out of school, you drop out of the team. They know that if they don’t do well in school, they are not allowed on the team – the two go together,” Prinsloo said.

The team prays before and after every training session and match.

They have sent out letters to different companies and institutions asking for any form of aid without any response, however, so they are reaching out to the community and asking for their assistance.

They don’t, however, allow their financial challenges to put them down as they are ranked number five out of the ten teams in the Katlehong Junior League, and striving for first position.

For more information about the team contact Prinsloo on 011 902-2610.