6/11/2008 9:16:03 PM
Vision:
To promote football in South Africa by providing localised exposure to local talent and attract new audiences for the sport through innovative presentation.
Mission:
To be the most successful social football club in the country.
Owners: Lesiba Langa, Amos Mananyetso, Gaba Bhengu
Lion-hearted, spirited, passionate, hospitable, entertaining and brave - these are the words that the Fat Cats Football Club team use to describe themselves. The club has made its mission clear: "To be the most successful social football club in the country".
Background
Fat Cats Football Club History
Introduction
The name Fat Cats was coined by Siyanda Dlakavu, honorary president of the club, referring to the fact the club was made up of over-weight, wealthy and highly privileged social soccer players.
Back then
Fat Cats co-founders Lesiba Langa and Gaba Bhengu’s passion for sports was quite evident when they first met at the then Technikon Pretoria as students in 2002. Lesiba was a 24-year-old Rand Afrikaans University Sports Management graduate while Gaba, 24, was a graduate in Human Sports Science Movement from the University of Port Elizabeth. Though they argued about every topic they discussed on football, their strong opinions and divergent viewpoints would eventually find common ground in a unique approach of starting the popular club Fat Cats Football Club.
Their appetite for sports and football in particular paved the way for the two to join up a media soccer team called The Talibans. They hardly got a chance to play as they were always on the bench. Little did they know that this will encourage them to start a club of their own.
By January of 2003, Langa and Bhengu had begun collaboration on a soccer club that they will run and enjoyed having a hand in staring up and administrating the club.
The two approached well-known soccer journalist Amos Mananyetso for technical advice. Afflicted by the perennial shortage of cash common to fresh graduates, the pair took to haunting Mananyetso for kit, soccer balls, games and even sponsorship.
Today
The club started small with mainly friends and family members from across Gauteng all becoming part of the Cats family. A year later, their unique brand and close knit soccer club was earning Fat Cats a growing reputation among those who were skeptical.
The club now boasts a full running website (http://www.fatcatsfc.com/), more than 40 registered players and participate in the Diadora Corporate League in Johannesburg.
In 2006, the club established Fat Cats Legends, a team made up of former players who are no longer engaged in competitive or First Team activities.
The aim of the Legends is to give those players a chance to keep fit and also spread the Fat Cats brand throughout the country by playing in celebrity and charity events.
As part of their activities, the Legends are responsible for carrying out the club’s social programmes. The Legends donate a full soccer kit to schools or community soccer teams everywhere they go to play.
Fat Cats are currently sponsored by South Africa’s leading sports marketing and management company Prof’sionalz.
Top Italian sports equipment brand Diadora are the club’s technical sponsors in a deal that will end in 2011.
The club also has a relationship with Papadi Sports Marketing as well as Forever Marketing.
The Future
One of the aims of the ambitious Fat Cats is to grow the brand and the team’s participation beyond just the corporate soccer.
Fat Cats aim to have the team affiliated to the South African Football Association structures before 2010 and play organised amateur football.
This will however, not mean Fat Cats will abandon their social soccer league commitments as this is the pillar of the club’s establishment. Fat Cats have a huge pool of players in their books and can easily register two different sides at two different leagues and this is what they are aiming to do.
Directors
Mr. Lesiba Langa (Executive Member and Director)
Popularly known as Spliff among the Cats faithful, Lesiba leads the club’s Directors as a majority shareholder. He also holds a position in the Executive Committee as Marketing Manager. He held the Chairman position between 2003 and 2005. In his capacity as Chairman & Director, he was responsible for the overall strategic direction of the club and in consultation with his executive team led the club’s strategic planning and development.
Since founding the club, Langa has focused on building the club's infrastructure and amassing the necessary property and equipment needed to run a successful soccer club.
A RAU graduate, Langa is currently a Portal Content Specialist at MTN. He was a Sports Journalist with City Press, before moving to Citizen as a Soccer Writer and Columnist.
On the other hand, Langa heads up the SuperSport Media League which is played by the major media houses in Gauteng and matches are played every Tuesdays. Prior to the rise of the Fat Cats, he played for the Talibans, a popular media soccer team, where he was a benchwarmer of note.
Mr. Gaba Bhengu (General Secretary & Director)
Manqoba Gabangaye Bhengu, simply referred to as Gabzin by his peers, was born in London, England but grew up in KwaZulu-Natal.
He studied and completed a Bachelor of Human Movement Science degree at the University of Port Elizabeth before proceeding to then Technikon Pretoria where she studied Sports Reporting.
It was at Technikon Pretoria where he met Lesiba Langa and started work on the project, or was it a dream, that has now become the Fat Cats Football Club. Together, with Amos Mananyetso they founded the team in 2003 and Bhengu continues to share responsibility for day-to-day operations with Langa and Mananyetso.
The well-travelled Bhengu is a permanent feature in the Fat Cats team’s back line where he makes closing down lethal strikers look easy. He has also become well known for his trademark free kicks which he often converts from the most awkward of angles.
His skills on the pitch have also earned him a place in one of the teams that participate in the SuperSport Media League run by Langa.
Mr. Amos Mananyetso (Non-executive member & Director)
Amos Lesiba Mananyetso is a well known journalists who now edits the sports pages of Sunday World.
A Technikon Pretoria Journalism graduate, Mezosti, as he is popularly known, has extensive knowledge of local and international football.
He met both Bhengu and Langa in 2003 when he was working as a Sports Reporter at City Press. Mananyetso ran a soccer team at City Press known as the Peoples Team and was also the founding member of a media soccer team known as The Talibans.
Langa and Bhengu later approached him to start the Fat Cats FC and also aid in growing the brand.
In 2005, Mananyetso was elected the club’s Chairman and the fortunes of Fat Cats were improved as the team played competitive football in the Modderfontein Corporate League. During his reign, Mananyetso was also responsible for roping in current coach Dula Mokoena and several players from his home town, Stinkwater.
A prolific left footer, Mananyetso was an astute midfielder in his playing days but hung his boots as a First Team player and only plays for the Fat Cats Legends.
Club Info
Formed: 2003
Previous name: Castle Fat Cats
Nickname: Amakati
Address
Tel no:
Fax: 086 608 4159
Website: www.fatcatsfc.com
Management
Honorary President: Siyanda Dlakavu
Chairman: Maisela Kekana
Non-Executive Members: Amos Mananyetso and Nkhensani Phaweni
CEO: Silvanus Mabaso
General Secretary: Gaba Bhengu
Team Manager: Japhet Ncube
Marketing and Communications Manager: Lesiba Langa
Legends Director: Japhet Ncube
Finance Manager: Dudu Bhengu
Technical Staff
Head coach: Dula Mokoena
Assistant: Lesiba Langa
Doctor: Dr Fuziwe Dlakavu
Kit Manager: Khaya Nkosinkulu
Official Sponsor: Prof’sionalz
Technical Supplier: Diadora
Home kit: Black
Away kit: Florescent Yellow
Change kit: White, blue trimming
Home Ground: Wendywood High School
Club Records
Most appearances: Gaba Bhengu
Most goals: Klapie Nkuna (20)
Most appearances in a season: Gaba Bhengu (42 matches Lombardy East League 2004)
Most goals in a season: Mdu Mngomezulu (25 in Modderfontein Corporate League 2005)
Record win: 14-1 vs Team FC (March 2008)
Record loss: 12-0 vs Real Madrinkers (2004)
Honours
2005 Lombardy East League Team of the Season
2005 3rd place in the BP Baron Football Tournament
2008 North West Provincial Government Soccer Festival Champions
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