Remember Sturu Pasiya, the former owner of Bush Bucks FC?
He is back in football, so is his club and is starting all over again following the club’s demise in the late 2000s.
The ambitious Pasiya is targeting Bush Bucks’ return to top-flight football in no later than 2020.
In this regard, the Bush Bucks Sports Academy, which is in no way associated with Mthatha Bucks FC, will be launching next week.
Having been established a year ago by Pasiya and the academy’s technical director Nigel Dixon, the pair opted first do the hard work behind the scenes before going public. Football is just a launching pad of the academy, the pair say. The ultimate goal is to have a Bush Bucks sports empire post- 2020 – represented in several other codes like netball, rugby, cricket and other sports.
The academy, that will be operating on a non-profit basis, will be run by a nine-member board and already has about 90 soccer players on its books in the U13, U15 and U17 divisions.
The U17s are tipped to form the nucleus of the Bush Bucks side, who it is envisaged, will be campaigning in the PSL in 2020.
Pasiya is confident his vision 2020 will be realised.
“Come 2020 mark my words we will be definitely have Bush Bucks back in the PSL,” he said.
“We are not in a hurry but if we achieve our goal before 2020 that will be a bonus. We do not want to be one-day wonders,” he said.
Just how will they get to the PSL in five year’s time and why not buy an NFD club that might increase their chances of ending up in the PSL?
“No shortcuts,” Dixon said, himself a former Bush Bucks player and coach.
“There is local culture and pride at stake here which only local players can identify with, hence we are going for homegrown talent.”
One thing is certain, Bush Bucks, who are currently affiliated to the Bunkers Hill LFA in East London, will be taking part in organised football structures.
It will either be the SAB League or ABC Motsepe League, Pasiya said, emphasising that the plan for the club is to stay two years in the Motsepe League, two more years in the NFD and ultimately achieve PSL status in year five.
The academy, even before the official launch, is already proving to be a force to be reckoned with in East London football circles – with their U13 team voted Team of the Year out of 61 LFA teams in Bunkers Hill.
Bush Bucks Academy players have also been selected to represent Border U13 and U19 teams, said Dixon – a achievement that gave them the necessary confidence to finally launch and introducfe their vision to the world.
An awards ceremony will be held next week in a bid to hype up players ahead of the five-year long walk to the PSL.
Outstanding individuals from the Bush Bucks Academy who may yet attract the attention of professional club scouts will not be barred from leaving if any offers came their way.
“As much as we are pushing the revival of Bush Bucks to the top where it belongs, we are also claiming the future of our kids because football after all is about opportunities,” he added.
Dixon and Pasiya are hard at work trying to identify schools from which to enrol pupils with the necessary talent from other parts of the province.
Bush Bucks Sports Academy, they said, was open for every teenage aspirant football star from the Eastern Cape, with education also an integral part of their vision.
Bush Bucks on comeback trail
He is back in football, so is his club and is starting all over again following the club’s demise in the late 2000s.
The ambitious Pasiya is targeting Bush Bucks’ return to top-flight football in no later than 2020.
In this regard, the Bush Bucks Sports Academy, which is in no way associated with Mthatha Bucks FC, will be launching next week.
Having been established a year ago by Pasiya and the academy’s technical director Nigel Dixon, the pair opted first do the hard work behind the scenes before going public. Football is just a launching pad of the academy, the pair say. The ultimate goal is to have a Bush Bucks sports empire post- 2020 – represented in several other codes like netball, rugby, cricket and other sports.
The academy, that will be operating on a non-profit basis, will be run by a nine-member board and already has about 90 soccer players on its books in the U13, U15 and U17 divisions.
The U17s are tipped to form the nucleus of the Bush Bucks side, who it is envisaged, will be campaigning in the PSL in 2020.
Pasiya is confident his vision 2020 will be realised.
“Come 2020 mark my words we will be definitely have Bush Bucks back in the PSL,” he said.
“We are not in a hurry but if we achieve our goal before 2020 that will be a bonus. We do not want to be one-day wonders,” he said.
Just how will they get to the PSL in five year’s time and why not buy an NFD club that might increase their chances of ending up in the PSL?
“No shortcuts,” Dixon said, himself a former Bush Bucks player and coach.
“There is local culture and pride at stake here which only local players can identify with, hence we are going for homegrown talent.”
One thing is certain, Bush Bucks, who are currently affiliated to the Bunkers Hill LFA in East London, will be taking part in organised football structures.
It will either be the SAB League or ABC Motsepe League, Pasiya said, emphasising that the plan for the club is to stay two years in the Motsepe League, two more years in the NFD and ultimately achieve PSL status in year five.
The academy, even before the official launch, is already proving to be a force to be reckoned with in East London football circles – with their U13 team voted Team of the Year out of 61 LFA teams in Bunkers Hill.
Bush Bucks Academy players have also been selected to represent Border U13 and U19 teams, said Dixon – a achievement that gave them the necessary confidence to finally launch and introducfe their vision to the world.
An awards ceremony will be held next week in a bid to hype up players ahead of the five-year long walk to the PSL.
Outstanding individuals from the Bush Bucks Academy who may yet attract the attention of professional club scouts will not be barred from leaving if any offers came their way.
“As much as we are pushing the revival of Bush Bucks to the top where it belongs, we are also claiming the future of our kids because football after all is about opportunities,” he added.
Dixon and Pasiya are hard at work trying to identify schools from which to enrol pupils with the necessary talent from other parts of the province.
Bush Bucks Sports Academy, they said, was open for every teenage aspirant football star from the Eastern Cape, with education also an integral part of their vision.
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