Bushbuckridge-based club SD Mabaya to honour players after 2023/24 campaign
SD Mabaya will host an annual players' awards ceremony for the team, for the first time. The club confirmed the players would be honoured at this event.
The SD Mabaya Football Club chairperson and CEO, Sipho Dzimba, said the team will host their first annual end-of-season awards after a successful local league season.
Mabaya‚ who finished the season in the eighth place, with some inspiring unbeaten streaks in February and March‚ confirmed on Monday May 13 that the players would be honoured. “For the first time we will be hosting an annual players’ awards at the end of this season. We are just sorting out a few things now, but that is certainly going to happen. It will be the first time in our history that we will be having the event. The team have done well this season‚” said Dzimba,
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Abafana Bok’thula Nothando, as Mabaya are also known, ended their Ximhungwe County League central stream campaign above their traditional rivals, Eleven Experience, Jongilanga Big 15 and PSG, on the log. But it was their seven-game unbeaten run at the beginning of this season’s second half that excited their large fan base.
Mabaya is one of the teams in the local leagues in Mpumalanga with a large following on the social media. “As a club, we believe that this season’s group of players have to be recognised. They have displayed hunger, passion and determination, and we have to formally applaud them for their dedication. The most outstanding individual contributions in what has been a very successful campaign for the club will be honoured. The boys went extra mile in their work,” said Dzimba.
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After beating clubs like Nghunghunyana, Black Rangers, Shepherd United and Lillydale Hotspurs, Mabaya stamped their authority on the campaign. The Kildare-based side completed their second season in the local league with their heads high. They joined this league after the club was relocated from Soshanguve in Pretoria to Kildare near Mkhuhlu in Bushbuckridge.
During the season, Mabaya also thrashed their archrivals, PSG, 4-0, at the Ximhungwe Sports Field in Kildare‚ and upset African Elephants 2-1 away in Cork Village in April. These displays prompted the club’s fans to display their happiness by going on social media platforms and celebrating.
“This kind of ceremony will encourage the players to keep working hard and learn more about the game. And hopefully, in the next few years, we’ll see some of these youngsters from the club representing professional teams across the country and abroad. We also wants to use this as an opportunity for local businesses and other brands to associate themselves not only with the club, but also with the players,” Dzimba said.
