Skema Storm rolls through Provincial play-offs to earn shot at promotion

THE CELEBRATIONS in Vaalspan location, Jan Kempdorp, must have carried on well into Sunday night as supporters of Skema United FC – the pride of the local footballing community – toasted a memorable weekend triumph in the SAFA Frances Baard Hollywoodbets Regional League positional play-offs.

Stream C’s Skema United arrived in Ikhutseng, Warrenton, with a clear purpose and walked away with a golden opportunity: the right to contest for promotion to the ABC Motsepe Provincial League alongside the champions from the province’s four other regions.

Their campaign began in blistering fashion, as they obliterated Stream B’s Kgatelopele 9-0 in their opening match. Kgatelopele, already reeling from a 3-0 defeat to Stream A’s Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in the early game, simply had no answer as the Skema Storm blew through them.

The massive goal-difference cushion meant Skema entered their final match against the dangerous SPU with a slight edge – a draw would be enough to top the group. With that in mind, they leaned on their celebrated defence, which had conceded just 10 goals all season, to keep the students at bay.

SPU, known for their goal-scoring prowess, pressed hard, but Skema’s gamble paid off. The two sides played to a tense goalless draw, securing Skema United the top spot and a deserved shot at provincial glory.

In other weekend action, Pampierstad Express lived up to their billing, powering through their group unbeaten. Dalton Brothers thrashed FC Barcelona 5-1 to open their account, but a 1-0 defeat to Pampierstad in the late match ended their run.

Further down the table, Real Stars FC had a productive day, comfortably beating Seragamajwe in their opening fixture before seeing off Pescodia Soccer Graduates in the evening. Pescodia, who had earlier dispatched Seragamajwe 3-0, couldn’t match Real Stars’ consistency.

As the dust settles, attention now turns to the upcoming provincial play-offs that will decide who takes the next step up. For the teams who fell short, there's still honour in what they've achieved. Their season-long efforts earned them a place at this stage, and many will use the off-season to regroup, reflect, and come back stronger next year.

Safa Frances Baard Hollywoodbets Regional League 

Positional play-offs round-up

Saturday, May 30, 2025

(9am): Real Stars 3-1 Seragamajwe 

(11am): FC Barcelona 1-3 Pampierstad Express 

(1pm): Pescodia Soccer Graduates 3-0 Seragamajwe

(3pm): Dalton Brother  5-1 FC Barcelona

(5pm): Real Stars 2-1 Pescodia Soccer Graduates

(7pm): Pampeirstad Express 1-0 Dalton Brothers

Sunday, May 31, 2025

(9.30am): Kgatelopele 0-3 Sol Plaatje University

(12 noon): Skema United 9-0 Kgatelopele

(3pm): Sol Plaatje University 0-0 Skema United

Prize Category Places

1 Skema United 

2 Sol Plaatje University 

3 Kgatelopele 

4 Pampierstad Express

5 Dalton Brothers 

6 FC Barcelona

7 Real Stars 

8 Pescodia Soccer Graduates