Today, Glencore Coal announced its new partnership with the Community Football (Commfoot) Programme, the SAFA Nkangala Region and the eMalahleni Local Football Association (LFA), to help support young, local soccer players from communities around eMalahleni. With over 180 soccer teams in the community, the programme aims to ensure that every local player and coach, receives the training, mentorship and resources that are necessary for them to succeed in the sport.

To celebrate the launch of the partnership and reveal the official jersey for the LFA, Glencore Coal held an event at the Witbank Stadium. The U19 girls’ and boys’ teams from the local football clubs showed off their talent during their matches, with a key highlight of the day being a friendly match between Glencore Coal employees and some of South Africa’s biggest soccer legends and stars, such as Dr Khumalo, Jabu Mahlangu, Frank Makua and Cyril Nzama to name a few.

Glencore Coal South Africa’s CEO, Murray Houston, said that while the day was filled with much play and fun activities, it would be remembered as a monumental one for the future of soccer in the community.

“Today is really an exciting day for us as Glencore. It’s been such an amazing experience to have watched some of our local sports teams who were playing today and to witness the incredible talent that exists in Emalahleni. The launch of this partnership is the start of great things for this community and will inject a turnkey programme to professionalise football at LFA level. I really want to encourage every player and coach that will receive training and mentoring through this programme, to grab this opportunity with both hands. We are supporting this programme because we want to support you as valued members of our community, we do this because we want you to progress in a sport that ignites your passion,” said Mr Houston.  

One of the key highlights of the programme is the football focussed life skills for both girls and boys from 14-19 years of age, which will teach the players the important skills to help keep them disciplined and focused on their life goals as well as soccer dreams. In addition, replicas of the official LFA jersey will made available to community members allowing them to sell the jersey and thus increase economic activity in the community. This forms part of Glencore’s Enterprise Supplier Development programme, which aims to create equal opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs to operate and effectively contribute to local economies.

The sponsorship by Glencore Coal covers the rental cost of a safe and secure Local Football Association office, acquisition of new computers, printers and other vital administrative items, as well as office furniture so that the office can function effectively and allow for the proper management of the LFA’s affairs. Furthermore, the sponsorship covers the training of local coaches so they are equipped with the necessary skills to add value and best train the players in their respective teams. 

Vice President of SAFA, Linda Zwane, who also addressed guests on the day, thanked Glencore for investing in the future of both coaches and young soccer players in the community, outlining the impact the partnership would make.

“On behalf of the association as led by Dr Danny Jordan, we wish to congratulate Glencore, SAFA Nkangala and the eMalahleni LFA, for this historic announcement and launch. This partnership will definitely change the landscape of football in the LFA and the region. More importantly, such partnerships assist the association to achieve many of its objectives which relate to continually developing soccer in this country. We are looking forward to many great seasons and years of investment which will benefit the whole of South Africa.’ he said.

Community members and the soccer players present on the day could barely contain their excitement after seeing some of their favourite soccer icons in real-life. A clear favourite on the day was Dr Khumalo who endorsed the Glencore Commfoot programme.

“I definitely share the excitement of the many young kids and locals present today because what this day signifies will be remembered for many years to come. Soccer is the heart of our nation, and it is so amazing to see a company like Glencore doing their part to help the dreams of young soccer players come to life. I wish each of the participants the very best and hope to see them at some of our biggest stadiums in future,” Dr Khumalo said.

The partnership officially kicked off in September 2022 and will run the first year of its three-year partnership through to 31 August 2025.