Bucks may opt for new home

To relocate from Mthatha or sell their NFD status? That is the million dollar question Eastern Cape’s only NFD side Mthatha Bucks are pondering.

According to the club’s founder and co-director Philisa Mnqandi this was triggered by lack of support from the municipality and the unavailability of training facilities at their current Mthatha home.

“It is very frustrating to have a professional soccer team in Mthatha

“We do not have support from our local municipality (King Sabatha Dalindyebo) who were quoted in the media when we were promoted last year saying they would make sure we did not relocate.”

Should Bucks relocate, it would not be the first time a professional soccer side from Mthatha does so. Bush Bucks did it when they moved to East London.

If Bucks decide to move, they will not be short of options with Buffalo City Metro an enticing prospect.

BCM has long shown its intention to be a home base of a professional side since the demise of Blackburn Rovers.

With Chippa not yet committed to move to BCM permanently, professional football, albeit at NFD level, would be a real fillip for BCM.

Mnqandi said they were being tossed around struggling to find a suitable training venue apart from the Rotary Stadium which they have to share with other teams, including an amateur team.

The situation is so bad that there are times when training sessions are cancelled due to unavailability of a training ground.

“And for any professional side, if you do not go to training when you prepare for matches, it only means one thing – relegation,” he said.

“To this end we are in a situation where we must seriously consider whether we let the team be relegated, or we move to East London and leave our loyal support base here or we just sell the team and forget about football.

“When Bush Bucks, which I was also involved in relocated to East London 2001,” said Mnqandi, “it was because of lack of sport facilities but 15 years later the situation remains more or less the same.”

Mnqandi said using the Rotary Stadium as their main training ground, which is sometimes not available, was in itself problematic given that it had an astroturf while they play competitive matches on natural grass.

Bucks open their 2016-17 season against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday after recently going to a camp in KwaZulu-Natal.

Even attempts by Bucks to be allowed to use the Walter Sisulu University Mthatha campus football grounds drew a blank.

Worse still, the municipality only started doing maintenance works at Mthatha Stadium last week despite the venue having been unused for three months during the off-season.

KSD spokesman Sonwabo Mampoza did not reply to emailed questions. Among the questions we asked KSD:

lWhy is there a sport facilities crisis in Mthatha?

lWhat impact would a Mthatha Bucks relocation have on the city and its football loving residents?

lKSD last year assured the public that it would ensure that the club did not relocate by giving it the necessary support. However that seems not to have happened hence the possible relocation. What now?

lWhy is the amateur municipal league getting preference over Mthatha Bucks – a professional outfit – for the use of the Rotary Stadium for training sessions?