If game changer was a particular person, then that would definitely be the chairman of TS Galaxy Tim Sukazi. The Galaxy head honcho was a breath of fresh air in the Premier Soccer League topflight in 2019.
Despite being relatively new to the football scene, Galaxy has made remarkable progress.
Winning the Nedbank Cup in 2019 against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs while still campaigning in the second tier of local football has to be one of the club’s highlights since its establishment in 2015.
It was also historic for SA football as Galaxy became the first, and thus far, the only non-top flight club to win the local equivalent of the FA Cup.
Sukazi is the man he thinks he is, a trailblazer who makes decisive and bold moves in all avenues of his dealings, such as hiring an unknown and recordless coach Sead Ramovic, and selling the core of the team but still improving every season.
The latest achievement is doing the unthinkable of hosting and creating a partnership with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for the Mpumalanga Premiers International Cup.
Who is FC Augsburg?
They are a German Bundesliga club that was founded in 1907 and has been competing in the top flight of German football for 14 consecutive seasons.
What makes the partnership for Sukazi and Galaxy special is that Augsburg is not a small club, they have a rich history and have established themselves as a German top-tier team.
How much was spent to bring them on board?
Sukazi says thousands of euros and millions of rands were spent to assemble the ground-breaking initiative to host the Germans.
The team was booked at the luxurious ANEW Resort at White River, near Mbombela, which consists of a world-class training facility that was used during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
“It cost a lot of money to bring Augsburg here. Millions of rands and certainly a lot of -thousands of euros to ensure that their well-being is catered for, including that of Yanga (Young Africans of Tanzania) and our counterparts Swallows,” Sukazi said.
“There are certain things that are priceless that you will have to do for the benefit of the country and African child, so money doesn’t matter.”
How is the tourism sector in Mpumalanga set to benefit from the arrangement?
Mpumalanga “the place where the sun rises” is one of South Africa’s most productive and important agricultural regions.
The province has an optimal climate and topography of forests, abundant mineral resources, significant manufacturing capacity and a well-developed tourism sector.
“Tourism will absolutely benefit from this initiative; it is at the centre core. I am proud to say there will be several German tourists that will be coming to our beautiful province of Mpumalanga knowing that a team from the Bundesliga is here,” Sukazi added.
“And it not being the first and last, in the next edition of this project there will be a lot more because it is going to be an annual thing. “There are also people from Tanzania and the Kingdom of eSwatini who are also here to witness the historic matches against Augsburg. So, all put together talks to the boost of -tourism that will be taking place in our province.”
On and off the pitch activities by Augsburg
Almost the entire Augsburg squad visited SA for the first time, including players of African descent. The team also got an opportunity to go on safari at the famous Kruger National Park, the home of the Big 5.
They also got to mingle with locals and aspiring professional football players to give them hope.
“In White River, Mpumalanga offered us conditions in which we were able to prepare very well for the new season,” said Augsburg managing director Michael Stroll.
“In our discussions with the local people in charge, we were impressed by how much effort they made to ensure that we were able to come to South Africa. The trip will certainly be a valuable and enriching experience for our entire team.”
