East Rand FC LWM aiming for the stars
We are doing our bit to bring hope, employment and opportunities for youngsters
Lundstar Waste Management (Pty) Ltd has put its weight behind Windmill Park football club’s East Rand Top Stars with an unspecified sponsorship deal.
Top Stars plies its football in the Vosloorus Local Football Association (VLFA) and was founded in 2013 by Lebohang Molotsi. To date, the club consists of an u-13, u-15, u-17 and a senior team.
All amateur football is still under lockdown and will return to business as soon as the government deems it safe to do so.
The club aims to earn a promotion to the South African Breweries (SAB) League which Molotsi believes would be a great platform for bigger opportunities and dreams.The ultimate dream is the Premier Soccer League.
As far as the South African football structure is concerned, the ABC Motsepe League and the National First Division separate the SAB League and the PSL with the VLFA being the lowest tier.
Speaking to the Advertiser about the new relationship with LWM, Molotsi said: “It (the relationship) should be an ongoing partnership. I’d like to give Lundstar Waste Management (LWM) an opportunity to grow with the team because I understand the importance of identity because without identity, you wont go anywhere.
“I’ve been looking around for sponsors to keep the team, specifically the senior team, afloat. Not only with finances per se, but equipment as well. “It takes a lot of effort to run a football team, you need to look after quite a lot of number of youngsters. We’ve also got a lot of divisions, from u-13 right up to the senior team. So being somebody who only has one salary, you need to get corporate enterprises to assist you.
“I had the opportunity of not looking any further than Lundstar. We started chatting about sport and the rest was history.
“Co-founder of the business, Luanda Madikizela, a former Lions player, said: “I’ve been a sportsman all my life. I saw the ambition in this team and Lebo.
“We are doing our bit to bring hope and opportunities for the young footballer. I know how it feels when you don’t have a contract and you playing for the fun of playing. “That small boost you get, whether it be soccer boots or a kit, goes a long way in terms of motivation.
“Registered under the South African Football Association (Safa), Top Stars was initially named East Rand Football Club. Molotsi cited that the initial name had a sense of incompletion about it. The senior team are league contenders as things currently stand.
“If you look at what Vodacom is doing with the Soweto giants, it’s remarkable. Vodacom is a powerhouse and Chiefs and Pirates are also football powerhouses, so when you combine the two, it’s a force to be reckoned with.
“Nothing is stopping us from also building such a dynamic partnership. The marketing and the sustainability of the relationship is very important.”
The birth of East Rand Top Stars Football Club Molotsi was himself an aspiring professional footballer but things did not go as planned. After being unable to realise his dream, he decided to give back to the Windmill Park community where he lives.So he decided to use football to help the youth.His ambitions are not only limited to Windmill Park but the East Rand as a whole.”I was born in the East Rand and I love the East Rand. We need a local team that can lay with the bog boys.”
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