Bennett Bailey has described his re-election as the President of Safa Cape Town and that of his entire Management Committee as a “vote of confidence” from the grassroots football sector – and has promised to deliver even more.

Bennett Bailey has described his re-election as the President of Safa Cape Town and that of his entire Management Committee as a “vote of confidence” to his leadership, promising to deliver even more.

Bailey, together with deputy presidents Nomonde Ndyoko and Linda Pistoli, as well as secretary Elton Lotriet and treasurer Wayne Weitz, won their return to the office with huge margins to lead the regional football fraternity for four more years.

“The fact that the whole management committee was returned shows once again that there is a belief in us; that the football community has confidence in us, there is unity amongst our members, and that they preach continuity,” Bailey says.

Why would the grassroots football sector have such confidence in Bailey and his team?

Bailey believes his executive served under trying times but delivered the goods. 

“When there was a drought in Cape Town all the federations stopped playing – but we decided to continue because we have a responsibility to our constituency,” he says.

Even during the two years of Covid-19, Bailey notes, Safa Cape Town ensured that football activities continued whenever they could. 

These include writing off subscription fees from the Local Football Associations to ensure that everyone was in good standing and can participate, hosting regional competitions (the Coke Cup, the Denis Golbert Challenge and regional men’s and women’s leagues), and hosting online meetings and workshops.

“Remember football is played in poor areas, where some don’t have any recreational facilities and only football as a means to bring people together. We simply could not stop, and presented football even in the most trying conditions. We met our obligations.”

Those aren’t the only challenges facing football in the Mother City, though.

One issue Bailey and the executive is facing is the lower number of clubs from certain communities – in particular the black African areas of Cape Town – in the regional and provincial men’s leagues. Currently, only Cape Town United from Langa is part of the 18-team Regional Third Division League, formerly SAB League, and only Zizwe United is part of the 22 clubs in the ABC Motsepe League. There are no clubs from the black communities of the Mother City in the GladAfrica Championship and in the Premier Soccer League.

“That is our biggest concern,” he says. “Football must be played in all communities.”

One of the reasons for this problem, according to Bailey, is the culture of how clubs are managed in certain communities. 

“Without being racist and to clarify this matter, we found that in most cases there is only one person running a club in black African communities and in other coloured areas compared to an executive committee in the white and in some other coloured communities.” 

That makes it more challenging to handle sudden difficulties.

“In the white and in some coloured communities it’s a burden of the collective to look for resources. But where there is only one person running the show, when there is a small crisis, that crisis falls on that person and spreads to the club. So, one person running this club is competing against an organization on the other side. It’s the cultural thing that must be changed.”

Safa Cape Town has been hosting workshops and courses in different areas to upskill members as part of attempts to turn the situation around.

Playing It Forward: Developing A Framework For Football Leadership

Among the goals that the organization will focus on is developing a framework for at least two generations of new leaders. 

“We need to look at who is taking over from us and create an environment for when those people take over,” Bailey remarks. “There are young people in sport and in football in general. But we need a generational mix. We can’t have hope on one side and wisdom on the other side working separately. We need the two together.”

With two clubs (the University of the Western Cape and CR Vasco da Gama) in the HollywoodBets Super League – the top women’s league in the country – Cape Town is doing pretty well in the development of women’s football. But Bailey believes that the region can not rest on its laurels and will be developing a strategy toward the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup – which South Africa is intending to bid for. 

The region intends to host major women’s events in addition to the junior regional leagues it will introduce so that more and more local footballers can play in the national teams and overseas.

Bailey notes that only five players under the age of 20 have played for the senior men national team, Bafana Bafana, since 1993, and Cape Town needs to play its part to change the situation moving forward. 

In an attempt to identify talent, create opportunities for selectors and scouts, the region will have its own team in the U19 Bayhill Premier Cup to be hosted over the Easter Weekend. “Not all teams qualify and that is how we drop talent.”

Bailey is confident that Safa Cape Town should do a lot better in the next fours, and calls on all members to be united in the cause. 

Football has the ability to bring change and create opportunities for the poor and working class,” he notes.

“There is work to be done. Those who have won the elections should stop celebrating, and those who lost must stop sulking. All soldiers to the front line. We have a responsibility to every citizen to bring about change – and create a better life for everybody.”

Edited by Nicklaus Kruger