Former SuperSport United captain and ex-Chippa United co-coach, Thabo September, has finally lifted the lid on why he turned down an assistant coach reunion with his mentor, Gavin Hunt, choosing instead a challenging new path in the ABC Motsepe League.
September’s decision to forgo a potential assistant role at Durban City FC after leaving Chippa United came as a surprise. The former Matsatsantsa defender was in charge of the Chilli Boys in his first head coach role.
Speaking to FARPost, the 42-year-old coach has revealed his ambitious plan to build a community-focused, financially sustainable football club from the ground up.
September confirmed he is now the owner of Komani United, an ABC Motsepe League team based in the Eastern Cape, a project he initiated while still coaching at Chippa United.
THABO SEPTEMBER ON THE KOMANI UNITED PROJECT
“I own an ABC team in the Eastern Cape, Komani United,” September told FARPost. “It’s a project that I started while I was still at Chippa United. It’s something that really can change the area, the community and that will benefit the country in the long run.”
He believes that his experiences as a professional footballer, along with his Diploma in Sports Management and following his dad’s amateur team, have thoroughly prepared him for this season of his life.
“Before I even turned pro, I completed my Diploma in Sports Management. My dad owned an ABC team back in the day, and I was part of that,” he explained. “Turning pro, I observed how things are done professionally, learned what needs to be there for the players, and how to make a team work together and manage a team. I worked at SuperSport in the marketing space, so I’ve touched almost all areas of football,” he explained.
THE SUPERSPORT & AJAX CAPE TOWN BLUEPRINT
His envisioned Komani United model is explicitly based on the successful, self-sustaining development examples of clubs like the now-defunct SuperSport and Ajax Cape Town [now Cape Town Spurs].
“[It’s a model] where you work on development. You develop your own players and sell players to bigger teams, you grow through that, reinvest the money into the club, and make sure that the club grows,” he added.
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