Spanish professional football league, LaLiga, made its mark on one of the world’s most beautiful football pitches, branding the iconic FIVES Futbol pitch in Clifton on Cape Town’s famous Atlantic Seaboard.
LaLiga is FIVES Futbol’s Official League Sponsor in South Africa and as part of the partnership has unveiled the Clifton pitch with a mini tournament attended by Cape Town media and influencers, among them Banyana Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana, and the female-only Badgers Football Club.
Clifton is one of the world’s top tourist destinations and the Fives Clifton pitch is at a breath-taking location, on the slopes of the Twelve Apostles mountains and facing the Atlantic Ocean, alongside the exclusive suburb’s pristine sandy white beaches.
As Cape Town gears up for the festive season, LaLiga hosted four teams comprising of Good Hope FM radio deejay and musician Chad Saaiman, DJ NV Funk, football freestyler Kris Njokwana, Heart FM presenter Tara Lee and journalists such as Soccer Laduma’s Clint Roper.
In a nod to the development of women’s football and also to lend its support to the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, LaLiga also hosted the under 16 team of Badgers Football Academy, a women-run, women-focused football club in Cape Town.
Kgatlana gifted the Badgers players a copy of her inspirational book ‘Strike A Rock’, in partnership with LaLiga.
“This Fives Futbol pitch in Camps Bay is simply sensational, a beautiful spot to enjoy the beautiful game on Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard. We’re very happy to be able to brand this amazing pitch as part of our fantastic partnership with FIVES Futbol. It was also an absolute pleasure for us to host the Badgers Football Academy, to support the amazing work they do in developing women’s football and to show LaLiga’s support for the important global fight against Gender-Based Violence,” said Marcos Pelegrin, LaLiga’s Southern Africa Managing Director.
Kgatlana paid tribute to Badgers’ journey as a female-led and run football club, and encouraged them to forge their own path, much as she has done in her trailblazing football career in Spain and now in the United States.
“Women’s football is a growing sport in the world. It is truly amazing for LaLiga to unveil the Fives field to bring more opportunities for girls to play football. It is also extraordinary to have an academy that is run and coached by females. Hence is it important for me as a role model to these girls to inspire them. I will be giving out 18 of my books to the girls, so they can feel close to success and to help them create their own stories,” said Kgatlana.
“Playing at the event is a lovely way for our girls to wrap up their 2022 season and we’re thrilled to see more events being cognisant and inclusive of the women’s game. We hope that occasions like this add to the pressure needed at a strategic level to make women’s football in South Africa truly professional and sufficiently supported,” said Badgers founder, Romaney Pinnock.
“We’re the only women-owned football club in Cape Town that focuses purely on women. That shouldn’t be the case; we need the ecosystem to be more conducive to the likes of Badgers so that more girls have access to clubs, healthy competition and professional environments.”
