Lyle Lakay says Hope FC promotion bid is a personal mission for Cape Town

Lyle Lakay says his decision to join Hope FC in the Motsepe Foundation Championship is driven by a desire to help create a pathway for the next generation of footballers in Cape Town.

The former Siwelele FC player joined Hope as a free agent a few weeks ago, shortly after the club secured promotion from the ABC Motsepe League. He was immediately appointed captain, succeeding the experienced Craig Martin, who led the side during their promotion campaign.

Hope have made an ambitious start to life in the second tier, bringing in a number of experienced players, including Miguel Timm, Keagan Dolly, Taahir Goedeman, Siyabonga Nhlapo and Brandon Theron. The club have also added young players such as Tauric Gamildon, Moses Mphekgoane, Thamsanqa Magwaza, Clyde Combi and Xhosa Manyana.

Lakay believes the club’s ambitions extend beyond the current season. Western Cape currently has only Stellenbosch FC competing in the Betway Premiership, while Cape Town City are in the NFD alongside Hope. Lakay hopes Hope can eventually become another top-flight representative from the region.

“I took it as a task. I didn’t want to speak about this, but it’s something personal for me, with regards to Cape Town. We’ve got one team in the PSL (Betway Premiership), which is Stellenbosch, and then you’ve got Cape Town City that’s in the NFD with us. I felt that I could add value in helping Hope get to the PSL (Premiership) and obviously it will benefit the next generation of children, our kids. I spoke to the chairman before joining and I asked him what are the goals of the club. Myself and the other players bought into it, so it’s something personal for me,” Lakay told Soccer Laduma.

The 33-year-old said he discussed Hope’s objectives with the chairman before agreeing to join. He and the other senior players then committed to the club’s plans.

Lakay’s appointment as captain came as a surprise to him, given that Martin had previously worn the armband and remains one of the important members of coach Clayton Daniels’ squad.

“I didn’t expect it. It’s not something that I looked forward for it, but at the end of the day it is what it is. It’s my responsibility. I am one of the senior players in the team, which makes me one of the captains if I wasn’t the captain. I just have to lead by example. We have many leaders and experience in the team,” he said.

Hope strengthened their position in the Championship with a 1-0 victory over North West University yesterday. The result was their second win in three league matches since promotion.

Their next fixture will bring an early test of their ambitions, with Hope set to face Cape Town City in a major Cape derby next weekend.