It took Richards Bay FC a marathon prayer session by Shembe Church to boost their morale. The prayer session gave assurance that the football outfit affectionately known as the Natal Rich Boyz will avoid relegation. This church marathon session was held at Bon Hotel in Empangeni, northern KZN.
The club went on to hammer Baroka FC with 4-0 margin in their last PSL promotion play offs. They dashed the hopes of Limpopo-based outfit of returning to the elite Premier Soccer League (PSL).
But Richards Bay boss Sifiso “Jomo” Biyela also talks of home turf. He believes if the club continues to be deprived of playing their home matches in their backyard, they will always be on the back foot.
Lack of sponsorships proving costly for club
“We spend a fortune playing our home matches in Durban instead of Richards Bay. [This is because] we do not have sponsorship and rely on our own funds,” said Biyela. He added that without home advantage, the club will fight relegation next season.
Biyela pointed out that the exorbitant travel and accommodation costs were crippling.
“We have to be in Durban a day before match day. Book accommodation and the pitch. Including the travelling costs from Richards Bay. Mind you, we foot the bill from our own pockets,” decried Biyela.
For home matches, the club utilises the Umlazi township-based King Zwelithini stadium.
The club is the only PSL outfit which hails from the north coast of the province. It made its grand entrance to the PSL during the 2022/23 season. The Umhlathuze local municipality announced then that it had committed R200-million to revamp the local stadium. The funds were intended to rework the Umhlathuze sports complex into the PSL standards. This was so that Richards Bay FC can play their games at home.
“It doesn’t make sense for a team to be called Richards Bay, but they play their games away. It is the main reasons we have invested the huge sum of money to improve the pitch,” mayor Xolani Ngwezi said. He was answering questions from the Sunday World at the time.
Municipality promise to fix the stadium
The IFP-led municipality even made a commitment that by January 2023, the stadium would be ready. And that it would be accepting PSL matches. Two years later there is nothing to show for it.
Biyela said the municipality was keeping them in the dark about when the stadium will be ready.
“The last I heard that the stadium had been 80% complete. I heard that on the news. But we will await the municipality to tell us what is happening,” he said.
While the now defunct Thanda Royal Zulu played its matches in the sports complex, the pitch was banned by PSL. It banned it in the 2021 PSL season, citing poor state as the main reason. Thanda Royal Zulu campaigned in the PSL.
