Youth soccer development veteran Gideon “Killer” Modiba
By: Refilwe Sebola
The highly anticipated start of the Tzaneen Development League, governed by the SAFA Tzaneen Local Football Association (LFA), has been postponed due to unresolved issues surrounding club affiliation and player card registration.
Jeremiah “Gwegwe” Baloyi, the head of development at the LFA, stated that the league cannot commence until all clubs complete their affiliation process and receive clarity on the issuance of MySAFA player cards.
“The development league has many teams, but they have not yet affiliated, and the issues regarding the cards have not been clarified,” Baloyi explained. “Last time, we had teams that were affiliated but had to play without their cards, which caused many challenges. We don’t want to repeat that mistake.”
The league is set to be divided into three streams: Lesedi, Bulamahlo, and Sedani. However, uncertainty looms across all divisions. Gideon “Killer” Modiba, leader of the Bulamahlo stream, confirmed that most teams are hesitant to affiliate due to concerns about the availability of player cards.
“Teams are afraid to affiliate because they last registered two seasons ago but were not captured in the MySAFA system, which meant they never received their cards,” Modiba explained. “They are worried that the same situation will occur again.”
Modiba also suggested to LFA chairperson Neo Mokwena that a sub-committee be established with a dedicated administrator to oversee card registrations. This, he believes, could help prevent the delays and confusion that have plagued previous seasons.
Baloyi further clarified that the current registration fee is R570, which covers both affiliation and cards for 20 players. However, this amount remains contentious, as clubs claim that the initial cost was R1000, which was later reduced to R700, and then again to R570. Some grassroots teams are now advocating for a further reduction to R250, arguing that the current fee is still unaffordable.
For the upcoming season, the league intends to begin exclusively with the Under-15 division, with plans to expand to other age groups next year. Officials had originally aimed for an early September kick-off, but with the ongoing disputes over affiliation and player cards, that timeline appears increasingly unlikely.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Neo Mokwena, the secretary of SAFA Tzaneen LFA, were unsuccessful as his phone went unanswered.
The return of the Tzaneen Development League, which last took place before COVID-19 in 2019, now hangs in the balance.
SAFA Tzaneen LFA head of development Jeremiah “Gwegwe” Baloyi