Local club in desperate need of support
The major challenge for the club at this stage, according to Shoko, is catering and transportation.
It was a historic moment worth cherishing when a club founded in an informal settlement acquired a licence to play at a professional and recognised level.
Golden Drifter Football Club from Zandspruit became the first club to obtain the South African Football Association (SAFA) Regional Status in the Johannesburg North region and under the rural areas of the West Rand.
This achievement saw the club restructuring and remodelling itself as a top-flight outfit like their counterparts in their current league. This move involved luring sponsors to assist them with the makeover of the club which included the purchase of new kits and equipment for the club.
Although the injection of support made a huge difference, the founder of the club, Proud Shoko, told Northsider that more was still needed to sustain the club’s needs. “We provide young players from disadvantaged communities with the opportunity to expose their talents, which is why we acquired SAFA Regional status on the West Rand, in order to improve their chances to become the country’s breakout talent. However, we’ve had a challenge to get the club to reach its full potential due to lack of resources,” he lamented.
The major challenge for the club at this stage, according to Shoko, is catering and transportation. “We humbly request corporate sponsorship from companies that would be open to sharing our vision to empower and develop talented young footballers, as the club values the opportunity to identify and nurture talent. We appeal to companies that can assist us, especially with the costs of transportation for our team that sometimes has to travel as far as the North West province to compete.
“We also have players who camp with us during the course of the season, and the club sometimes runs out of groceries and toiletries,” said Shoko. “We appeal for assistance in this area too”.
He mentioned that he would be happy to start a partnership at any level with any company willing to help them overcome their problems.
For more information, contact Golden Drifters FC founder, Proud Shoko, on 073 248 7052 or email him at info@goldendrifters.co.za or visit the club’s website – https://www.goldendrifters.co.za.
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