MOTENE Home Defenders Football Club is a unique soccer team.
The team is made up of cousins, brothers, nieces and uncles all with the same surname – Motene. It was established in Ga-Motene Village outside Burgersfort, Limpopo, by the Motene forefathers in the early 1950s to maintain their love of football.
Club manager and coach Moses Motene (52) said it was still going strong because of the love they had for football.
“We love football and God has blessed us with the gift of playing it. We are not in the business for money. We just love football,” he said.
Moses told Daily Sun that their aim was to nurture future stars and help them pave the way into the sport.
He shared that they had achieved a lot.
“We always win up to four tournaments every year. Then we use the money to buy soccer kits, pay for transport and save for rainy days,” he said.
Moses said one of their biggest milestones was playing in the South African Football Association SAB League.
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“We played for two seasons, 2017/18 and 2019/20, and were relegated. We are now working hard to return to the league with the aim of ending up in the Premier Soccer League,” he said.
He said that they had affiliated with the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Football Association and were awaiting other teams to affiliate so they could start playing
“People are always surprised when we present our team sheet because all players have the same surname. This is what makes us a unique club,” he said, adding that they needed help to start a developmental club to groom young players.
Thabang (24) said he was proud to play for the family club.
“We have got a good combination whenever we play, and communicate well because we know each other,” he said.
