Plans underway for TS Galaxy to take top-flight football to KwaNdebele
The Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga is set to be the home venue for new Premiership side TS Galaxy, who parachuted their way into the country’s premium football division by purchasing the status of Highlands Park.
Tim Sukazi (Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)
Galaxy will step into the big league with a reputation of being the first and only lower division side to win the Nedbank Cup, South Africa’s version of English football’s FA Cup.
READ: Sukazi completes Highlands Park take over
The Rockets are forced to abandon their traditional home ground, the Kameelrivier Stadium, as it is not compliant with the PSL standards and will use Mbombela Stadium as their home ground.
However, Galaxy are not planning on spending much time at the 2010 Fifa World Cup venue as they look to move to Kwamhlanga Stadium after the Thembisile Hani municipality completes refurbishments.
“The current home stadium of TS Galaxy is far from being ready for top-flight matches. That stadium needs some revamp before it would host any match of any kind in a professional level. I am quite pleased to have been told that the municipality of Thembisile Hani on the side of KwaMhlanga are busy revamping the stadium,” said club president Tim Sukazi.
“As soon as the stadium is ready, I’m sure our people cannot wait, they want to see professional football in their own backyard and it shall happen. These things happen in phases. The biggest critical phase that has been achieved is to have a club in the professional ranks and now certainly it will be to have the stadium ready in KwaNdebele. While that is still to happen, we will play at the Mbombela Stadium. It is the only Fifa accredited stadium in Mpumalanga,” Sukazi added.
After numerous attempts to buy his way into the top-flight, Sukazi expressed his delight of finally having his team playing in the premium division and becoming the maiden KwaNdebele-based side to play in the top-flight.
“I would like to pay homage to the people of KwaNdebele who have never had a professional football club of their own since the advent of democracy in this country. TS Galaxy has done it. Mpumalanga Black Aces were sold to Cape Town City and Mpumalanga was left with no club in the top-flight. This achievement is for the province and I am personally excited for our people.”
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