Players and officials of the struggling Kutama Young Stars, who participate in the Limpopo Dairy League, could not believe their eyes when Old Mutual handed them a brand new soccer kit, 18 pairs of soccer boots and two new soccer balls during a ceremony at Tshikwarani on Sunday.

The official handover took place at the local sports grounds and was witnessed by many members of the community. Mr Madambi Lisoga from Old Mutual said he recently received a request from the team management for assistance. After assessing the application, “we felt compelled to help," he said. He said that he was very passionate about sport and would continue assisting the team where possible.

He added that the donation was also a way of motivating the team to dominate the league and was a way of giving back to the community. "We have been touched by the plight of the young players, who seemed committed and dedicated to sports, but lacked resources. We then decided to buy them a brand new soccer kit, soccer boots and soccer balls," he said.

He emphasised that it was difficult for the team to run smoothly without a sponsor. He also appealed to the business community to follow in their footsteps, saying sport had also become a major employment provider.

Representing the team, Mr Madona Nthabalala said they were very motivated by the new soccer equipment. "We are playing well in the league matches, but we lack even some of the basic equipment such as soccer boots, shin guards and other necessities for the players. We are very happy to have received this morale-boosting gesture," he said.