Bailey poised to secure third term unopposed at Safa Cape Town elections

Mark Ward

Bennett Bailey is set to be returned unopposed for a third term as president of SAFA Cape Town. Bailey, together with his deputy presidents, Linda Pistoli, Nomonde Ndyoko and Andrew Bothman, will stand unopposed at Sunday’s elective congress at the University of the Western Cape.

The only contested position will be that of treasurer, with either Marwaan van Reenen or Sadick Williams set to replace Wayne Weitz, who has elected not to seek another term. Weitz was controversially removed from the post early last year but was reinstated four months ago after no adverse findings were made against him.

Bailey, a veteran sports administrator, said his priority for a third term would be to complete what he described as “unfinished business”, while further strengthening development structures across the metro, with a renewed and sharper focus on women’s football.

He said a key pillar of the next term would be the expansion of schools' football and high-performance pathways, as well as the introduction of women-led local football associations (LFAs) and dedicated development programmes for female players.

Among the initiatives earmarked for the next term are the launch of a five-a-side schools league for both primary and high schools, to be led by former professional player  Keith America and the establishment of a Safa Cape Town High Performance League for clubs and academies at u/12, u/14, u/16 and u/18 level, including a dedicated girls’ division. A programme which will be driven by Boebie Solomons and Mark Kloppers.

“We already have a high-performance programme that includes schools leagues. But the real work is to entrench these structures and make them sustainable,” said Bailey.

Bailey, a long-time advocate for grassroots football, said he believes structured school leagues remain the most effective platform for growing participation and identifying future talent.

“The schools leagues can transform football in Cape Town and beyond. It is a long-term project and we need more time to make sure it is done properly,” he said.

Responding to questions around the recent administrative bungles that saw Santos excluded from the ABC Motsepe League before being reinstated through legal action, Bailey stressed, Safa Western Cape should be viewed as a coordinating body in the province.

“Administrative challenges of that nature can only be fully resolved through proper alignment with national structures,” he said.

He describes his leadership approach as a phased process. “Leadership that delivers change works in phases, it’s a case of  clean-up, stabilise and deliver. In my previous terms we stabilised Safa Cape Town, dismantled artificial divisions and restored trust,” he said.

According to Bailey,the association’s finances are now stable; confidence among players and stakeholders has improved, and partnerships with government have been re-established.

“This is not about another term. It is about creating strong structures and delivering the Safa Cape Town we all know is possible,” he added.