Bethlehem is set to host Betway Premiership football for the first time in three years after Siwelele FC confirmed Goble Park as one of the club’s home venues for the 2026/27 season.
Chairman Calvin Le John revealed that the historic venue will become one of Siwelele’s three home grounds, alongside Toyota Stadium and Dr Molemela Stadium, subject to PSL approval.
The move forms part of the club’s vision to represent the entire Free State and reconnect top-flight football with one of South Africa’s most passionate football communities following the demise of Free State Stars.
Goble Park was once the home of Free State Stars, one of South Africa’s most storied clubs. Founded in QwaQwa in 1977, Ea Lla Koto lifted the Coca-Cola Cup in 1994 and the Nedbank Cup in 2018 before selling their National First Division status in 2022.
Their exit came just a year after Bloemfontein Celtic sold their Betway Premiership status, leaving the Free State without a professional football club for the first time in decades.
Le John has since spearheaded Siwelele’s return to the top flight after acquiring SuperSport United’s Betway Premiership status. The businessman is determined to unite supporters from across the province under one banner.
WATCH: LE JOHN: ‘SIWELELE KE YA RONA KAOFELA’
“So historically in the Free State, we had two teams. We had Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic as the biggest teams. It’s not that people don’t want Free State Stars back; it’s just that people don’t have money,” Le John told FARPost.
“But in the absence of Free State Stars, we as Siwelele have realised that we are one team; we are one province. When Celtic was playing against another team, Free State Stars supporters would support us. When they were playing Siwelele, people would support them. This is us saying, ‘Siwelele ke a rona kaofela’.”
Le John revealed that the club’s ambition extends far beyond Bloemfontein, saying he would have taken Siwelele to even more communities across the province were it not for PSL regulations limiting clubs to three home venues.
“The only thing that annoys me is the fact that the PSL limits you to only three stadiums. If we had six stadiums, I would have played in Welkom, QwaQwa, Botshabelo, Virginia and Bothaville – all of them. But unfortunately, we only have three stadiums, so that’s where we’re limited. We’ll play at Toyota Stadium this season, Dr Molemela Stadium and Goble Park in Bethlehem.”
Siwelele will kick off their Betway Premiership campaign against TS Galaxy at Toyota Stadium on Sunday.
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