Former SA under-23 player joins Hout Bay

Ryan Botha being welcomed by HBUFC CEO Dali Fekenisi as head coach of the ABC Motsepe side.

Hout Bay United Football Community (HBUFC) have welcomed former Moroka Swallows and South Africa under-23 player Ryan Botha to the club.

Botha joins the Hout Bay outfit as the head coach of their ABC Motsepe league side. The former forward spent a significant amount of his playing time playing abroad in countries like Finland and Turkey.

Some of his playing day highlights include the PSL goal of the season which he scored back in the 2008/9 season when he was on the books of Swallows in a game against Bloemfontein Celtics.

Club CEO and manager of the women’s team, Dali Fekenisi, expressed his pride at the club’s ability to rope in Botha to their side.

“It has been a difficult period for the club financially, like for so many non-profit organisations, and Ryan has shown his commitment to help us grow beyond what our resources would normally allow. He is a great asset and will do us all proud,” said Fekenisi

Botha spent the 2021 season volunteering as coach of the club’s under-16 side in the High Performance League, and will take the reins of the third division side.

He is currently studying for his UEFA Level C coaching qualification and is also a qualified personal trainer who specialises in sport conditioning.

On his appointment, Botha said: “I’m very excited to join a community team like Hout Bay with big dreams and goals. Very grateful for the opportunity. This team can go a long way, with the support of the full Hout Bay community.”

Hout Bay will be hoping Botha steers them to a much higher position than their fourth place finish at the end of last season, with the playoffs to the GladAfrica Championships the prize for winning the Western Cape league.

Glendene was the side to make the playoffs from the province this season and will be one of the sides Hout Bay will be hoping to eclipse if they are to have their own taste of PSL football in the future.