TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi is plotting a new strategic path for the club after securing a landmark sponsorship deal with beauty giants Avroy Shlain.
The Rockets unveiled the new partnership in Midrand on Friday afternoon with a brand known for its high-quality skin care and beauty products. Galaxy’s new sponsor is set to enhance the men’s senior team and the women’s side, TS Galaxy Queens, on and off the pitch.
Beyond the field, the collaboration between the Betway Premiership side Galaxy and Avroy Shlain is also aimed at creating entrepreneurial opportunities for players even beyond their playing careers.
This commercial injection marks a turning point for the Mpumalanga-based side. After spending the bulk of their top-flight era without a primary sponsor, president Tim Sukazi hailed the new partnership as a historic milestone. The 53-year-old hinted that the Rockets may move away from their model of selling star players to stay afloat, pivoting instead toward a strategy that allows them to retain talent and challenge the league’s big guns for silverware.
In the past few seasons, Galaxy has sold key players such as Puso Dithejane, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Given Msimango, Lebone Seema, Khulimani Ndamane, Bathusi Aubaas, among many others.
WHAT TIM SUKAZI SAID ABOUT THE TS GALAXY’S NEW SPONSOR
“It’s quite a monumental moment. We see a very long future between the Avroy Shlain and TS Galaxy,” said Sukazi. “If you look at it, you will conclude that it’s a value-in-kind partnership, but it’s not necessarily that; it’s a partnership that extends far beyond. As football clubs, we would have footballers at the end of their careers with nothing to do about their future.
“So, at TS Galaxy, we look into these things. Given Avroy Shlain’s business model, we see opportunities for our footballers and aim to develop them in the field of entrepreneurship, providing one solution to a very big problem. It’s not good for our game when it’s been written that players used to be like this and now, they ended their career and they are like that.”
Expanding on Galaxy’s strategy going forward, Sukazi admitted that sponsorship opportunities will provide stability, allowing the club to keep its best players and compete for trophies.
‘SUNDOWNS WON’T AFFORD LOSING KEY PLAYERS’: TIM SUKAZI
“We know as much that we have a responsibility to develop this institution because we all agree that it serves many facets of life over and above football. So we didn’t have a headline sponsor for six consecutive years uninterrupted. We need to have a sustainable business, and in doing so, we have become compelled to dispose of our best assets in the form of talented players so that we can reinvest in the project,” added Sukazi.
“It’s not the easiest thing to do. I can challenge any club to sell five of their best players in the starting line-up. Let [Mamelodi] Sundowns sell Teboho Mokoena, the Colombian striker [Brayan Leon], and just three others, and see if they will be the same team. It’s not possible. But through God’s grace, we’ve been able to thrive under those circumstances. The time shall come when we will not transfer players as TS Galaxy and work through available means, but these things take time.”
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