Stellenbosch FC captain Lee Langeveldt has explained how being a local from Stellenbosch has made this weekend’s Carling Knockout all the more for special for him.

Hailing from Idas Valley in Stellenbosch, local hero Langeveldt has been with Stellenbosch FC since the start of the 2017/28 season and was part of the squad that attained promotion to the top-flight back in 2019.

The veteran goalkeeper has now set his sights on the club winning the Carling Knockout final in Durban, and revealed that the occasion carried extra importance for him as a born-and-raised Stellenbosch player at his hometown club.

“Being a local player, this match is extra special for me,” Langeveldt said. “Growing up in these parts of the world wasn’t easy regarding football because there was no club before Stellenbosch FC, and look where the team is now, fighting for a cup.

“We are a community-focused team. We play for our fans, for Stellenbosch, and I think we represent the whole of the Western Cape at the moment. Of course, we are also doing it for [the late] Oshwin Andries. Everyday, we see his kit hanging in the meeting room and he is still inspiring us to do well as a club.”

This view was echoed by head coach Steve Barker who highlighted the sentimental significance of having local players such as Langeveldt and vice-captain Deano van Rooyen in the squad, along with a number of other individuals who had been part of Stellenbosch since the club’s formation in 2016.

“We have the geographical name of the town behind us, and our club-captain and vice-captain are both from Stellenbosch,” Barker said.

“When we won the NFD and got promoted to the PSL, there were a couple of where myself, Lee, and Deano spoke about lifting a trophy together as a club, so I’ve always had that dream and I think they’ve had that dream.

“It would cap off a really special few years if Deano and Lee were there to lift the trophy. It would be a special occasion as they are two of the players who are still here from when we were promoted. Angelo [Kerspuy] was also a player then and is our team manager now, Iqraam [Rayners] is also from that team having left and come back.

“It would be nice to win with those players and some of the staff like myself, Wesley [Sergel], the physio [Fanie de Klerk], and the kit man [Melcolm Loggenberg], so I think it would be a full-circle moment for us to lift the trophy together and then start planning for the next one.”