KNYSNA FOOTBALL NEWS – The KLFA Domestic League finally kicked off again with matches in Knysna and Sedgefield on Sunday 9 May to mark the start of the new season.
The league has been on hold ever since the suspension of the 2019/20 season in March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For months, hope remained that the league could be resumed under strict protocols, but this did not pan out, and in November, Sedgefield outfit Smuts United were crowned the winners of the league, having been at the top of the table when the league was suspended.
The final log standings also determined who would be relegated to the Knysna Local Football Association (KLFA) Super League, the second tier of local club football.
Hot Spurs and Crossroads bowed out of the Domestic League while Young Stars and United Brothers were promoted to the top division, having finished first and second in the Super League in the 2019/20 season.
Swallows player Someleze Mhleli (left) nudges the ball past Pine Stars' Enrico Sass.
Throughout the first five months of 2021, various friendlies and tournaments were organised and held by the KLFA to prepare clubs for the resumption of league football. The annual Easter Tournament was held last month, with Safa Eden Men's Regional League side FC United emerging victorious.
However, clubs had to wait until last weekend to get their first taste of league action in over a year.
The games were scheduled to be held at Loerie Park on Saturday 8 May and in Sedgefield on Sunday 9 May, but Saturday's games were postponed to Sunday due to inclement weather. With players chomping at the bit to get into action, the first two games ended on an equal note, with FC Rebels beating Hot Stars 7-1 at Loerie Park and Ocean Eleven triumphing over Slow Town in Sedgefield with the exact same score.
Pine Stars won by the same margin of goals against CX Swallows, beating them 6-0. In their first games in the Domestic League, Young Stars triumphed over both Hot Stars and CX Swallows. After the first round of fixtures Ocean Eleven, Pine Stars and Young Stars all stand on six points to make up the top three in that order.
KLFA chairman Chris Tyhawana was elated to see the league off the blocks. "We are extremely happy to have resumed the league again. It's been a while and we are looking forward to a successful season playing under strict Covid-19 protocols," he said.
Elsewhere the Safa Eden Men's Regional League season wrapped up last weekend, and the Knysna sides FC United and CX Celtics battled it out to a 3-3 draw. FC United finished the season in second place while Celtics finished in sixth.
Pine Stars player Azole Njama (far right) narrowly avoids a tackle from Swallows' Bathandwa Ndumisa. Photos: Blake Linder
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