English League One side Fleetwood Town have announced they have partnered with a second club in South Africa.
On Tuesday, Fleetwood confirmed another international expansion as the club has officially partnered with Hout Bay United Football Community (HBUFC), who play in the semi-professional ABC Motsepe league.
Hout Bay United become the second SA club to partner with Fleetwood following Western Cape Fleetwood, while the English club also have partnerships with Dubai-based Fleetwood United and Waterford from Ireland.
“The club, from the historic fishing village of Hout Bay, are a community club that aim to bring different communities together, whilst uplifting young people, through their mentorship, and promote top class football with the aim to bring a common hope & pride to the people of Hout Bay,” reads the official statement.
“Our aim to assist Hout Bay United and help advance their vision to establish a world class football academy and training facilities in Hout Bay, as this will allow the club to remain sustainable as they look to move up through the leagues.
“The partnership will also enable the professional football side of the business the best chance of success while allowing the trust to focus on the community and employment projects we run.”
Fleetwood chairman Andy Pilley added: “There’s remarkable synergy between the two towns. What I think is remarkable – and this should be applauded – is the great community work the trustees and the team are doing.
“Fishing is also Fleetwood’s heritage but sadly our industry is in decline because of over-exploitation of traditional fishing grounds. Like Hout Bay, the town suffers from social and economic problems caused by chronic unemployment.”
The partnership with Fleetwood Town affords Houtbay’s players and even coaches the opportunity to achieve greater success through the English side and its connections throughout Europe and beyond.
Jeremy Elson, co-founder and trustee of HBUFC, added: “The magic of the project here in Hout Bay is the connection between the club’s on and off-field activities, each relies equally on the other.
“Their community building and social upliftment work as a charity provides real meaning, a sense of purpose – the message being that what they do is bigger than a game – and this ultimately creates much of our support, just as much as any of the success on the field.
“Equally, the more we achieve, the higher level we play, serves to increase the power of our mentorship opportunities and the scale of our impact.”
