Kaapstad Hornets

Noordryksevoetbalklub Kaapstad Hornets (Cape Town Hornets Nordreich Football Club) association football (soccer) club in Nordreich Liga was formed on September 21, 2009. The squad is "owned" by the Staatsregeringministrie vir Sport en Atletiese van Transvaal and managed by Bartnel Botha, the current Minister for Sport & Athletics in Transvaal.

The Hornets play all their home matches at Greenpoint Stadium (capacity 56,000) in Cape Town.

During Nordreich Liga Season I and Nordreich Liga Season II, their kit colours were yellow and black with white trim - with sweaters which were yellow with a black diagonal stripe and white trim. On March 23, 2010, new long-sleeve sweaters with horizontal yellow and black stripes were adopted for Nordreich Liga Season III. Shorts are black with yellow trim.

The club sponsor - like all Transvaler teams - is Soundic Radio of Sweden.

The Hornets' expansion roster included former Transvaal Springboks forward great Ricardo van Deinsen along with midfielder Dakarai Baako and goalkeeper Tafadzwa Masamba from Transvaal's UCFA Champions League squads - although Masamba departed after less than two months.

NVK Kaapstad Hornets played its first match, a 5-1 win, at Greenpoint Stadium in a friendly against The Scimitars on September 30, 2009; midfielder Regillio Sewnath scored the club's first-ever goal 15 minutes into the first-half.

The club's first league match was on October 7, 2009 when they were shutout 2-0 at home by Nordenstorm United. Three days later the club defeated The Scimitars by the score of 3-0 in the opening round of the Nordreich Cup with midfielder Izmir Jejaz scoring the first official competitive goal in the 26th minute of the match. Four days later the two clubs squared off again in league play and forward Bernie Forbes scored the Hornets' first league goal in the 8th minute on a header cross from fullback Eugene Tchami.

The squad's roster witnessed numerous changes made during the debut campaign and only 7 original players would last with the club throughout the entire season: goalkeeper Oskar Dietze, fullbacks Pius Tsheuma Songo’o, Anthony Davids, and Nbeko Sokoto, midfielders Dakarai Baako and Dean Hankers, and forward Ricardo van Deinsen. =League Record by Season=

=Cup Record by Season=

=Career Statistics= Includes regular season and cup matches; * indicates player retired with club

=Nordreich Liga Season I=
 * EXPANSION ROSTER (September 21, 2008): Glen Autar, Dakarai Baako, Charly Braaf, Anthony Davids, Oskar Dietze, Dean Hankers, Etienne Hindenberg, Jimmy Horb, Benny Juliaans, Tafadzwa Masamba, Winston Plato, Kiran Reiziger, Regillio Sewnath, Dawson Silvin, Nbeko Sokoto, Pius Tsheuma Songo’o, Ricardo van Deinsen, and Chifarat Wouters.
 * ROSTER TRANSACTIONS: Eugene Tchami (junior prospect) signed on September 28, 2009; Harald Heidrich signed ($146,100) as free agent on September 30, 2009; Charly Braaf released September 30, 2009; Izmir Jejaz signed ($263,100) as free agent on October 1, 2009; Jimmy Horb and Kiran Reiziger released October 1, 2009; Mosely Nlend Wome (junior prospect) signed on October 2, 2009; Otto Getzlaf signed ($300,000) as free agent on October 4, 2009; Glen Autar released on October 7, 2009; Bernie Forbes signed ($238,100) as free agent on October 8, 2009; Winston Plato and Regillio Sewnath released October 15, 2009; Jaouad Nasser signed ($595,300) as free agent on October 18, 2009; Sipho Griekwa (junior prospect) signed on October 23, 2009; Etienne Hindenberg and Dawson Silvin released October 24, 2009; Gbeke Tshwonga signed ($299,100) as free agent on October 25, 2009; Ian Smith signed ($595,300) as free agent on October 27, 2009; Tafadzwa Masamba released November 8, 2009; Desmond Nghaamwa (junior prospect) signed on November 8, 2009; Chifarat Wouters sold for $770,371 on November 11, 2009; Benny Juliaans sold for $924,000 on November 19, 2009; Dingiswayo Ngwane signed ($2,581,000) as free agent on November 19, 2009; Ernest Ebede (junior prospect) signed on November 22, 2009

=Nordreich Liga Season II=
 * ROSTER TRANSACTIONS: Harald Heidrich released January 10, 2010; Tusker Doumbé (junior prospect) signed on January 10, 2010; Jaouad Nasser sold for $747,348 on January 13, 2010; John Reynolds signed ($149,600) as free agent on January 14, 2010; Mosely Nlend Wome sold for $154,476 on January 17, 2010; Sturton Le Steeple (junior prospect) signed on January 17, 2010; Sturton Le Steeple released January 26, 2010; Ralf Handke signed ($595,300) as free agent on January 27, 2010; Nbeko Sokoto released February 24, 2010; Benin Ndiako (junior prospect) signed on February 24, 2010

=Press Releases=

Nordreich Liga Season I
SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 - Transvaal gets third X11 club

Cape Town is home to Transvaal’s newest X11 club as NVK Kaapstad Hornets joins the newly-formed Nordreich Liga. The new club is managed by Bartnel Botha, who also handles operations for the Transvaal Springboks in Liga Mundo and Windhoek Welwitschia of the Vedder League.

On the pitch, the Kaapstad Noordryksevoetbalklub (NVK) will be lead by a trio of familiar faces famous in Transvaler football:

Ricardo van Deisen previously played five seasons in Liga Mundo. One of the greatest forwards to play for Transvaal, Van Deisen retired after the Transvaal Springboks won the Liga Mundo championship in Liga Mundo Season 5 and as the club’s all-time leading scorer. However, when he heard about Mr. Botha’s newest venture to establish the Nordreich Liga, Van Deisen allowed himself to be coaxed out of retirement to help out his old boss.

Dakarai Baako led Transvaal in the UCFA Champions League tournaments but failed to catch on with either Transvaal Springboks or Windhoek Welwitschia. He is now attempting a comeback with Kaapstad and this time around it looks like he will stick as the speedster is currently top of the depth chart on the Hornet's midfield line.

Also from the old UCFA Champions League Springboks squads is goalie legend Tafadzwa Masamba in net. It has been some time since “Taffy” has suited up but is expected to regain his old prowess between posts. One of his duties will be to help train future keepers for the Hornets such as newcomer Oskar Dietze.

The Hornets have two pre-season friendlies scheduled before the season commences. On Wednesday they host The Scimitars and then travel to Nordenstrom United the following Saturday.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 - Exhibition matches this week

On Wednesday, Nordreich Liga action kicks off when The Scimitars travel to Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town to take on the NVK Kaapstad Hornets in an exhibition match.

While the Hornets have been unsuccessful in acquiring a much needed freekicker off the transfer marker, Manager Homer has had The Scimitars hard at work with player training to prepare for the upcoming match.

Both squads feature fairly decent defensive lines but the Hornets hold an edge in goalkeeping while The Scimitars have a slight edge in the attack. Neither squad looks particularly strong for midfield depth although speedster Dakarai Baako will be key for the Hornets while Alladin Abdul-Sami is the offensive go-to man for The Scimitars.

On Saturday, the Hornets travel to Johann Schmidt Stadium to meet Nordenstorm United in another exhibition tilt. The regular league and Nordreich Cup schedules will be announced on Saturday, October 2nd with play expected to get underway the following Wednesday.

OCTOBER 18, 2009 - Recent signings

During the past three weeks of October, NVK Kaapstad has continued to re-tool their roster with player cuts and signings.

“We were dealt a pretty awful squad during the league expansion draft in September” commented Manager Bartnel Botha, “so it is going to take some time to get this club to anywhere we need to be to become competitive. We could have taken the road which Nordenstrom and Northern Reich have gone with picking up talented veterans in the twilight of their careers, however I’ve always been more focused on building for the future as I wouldn’t want to go through all this again in a few seasons as players started to retire.”

“We acquired two quality juniors from our youth programme, Eugene Tchami and Mosely Nlend Wome. While Wome is more of a project player that will require around three seasons to get into starter shape, Tchami automatically walked on as third or fourth in our defensive depth. To find a junior player that good is a lucky break.”

Recent acquisitions include Jaouad Nasser, Bernie Forbes, and Otto Getzlaf. Nasser is a likely a stopgap player for our weak midfield while the two others are most probably long-term keepers on the roster. Manager Botha did not rule out further changes. “We need to do something to address our impotent offense. Apart from Van Deinsen, we have no one who can provide regular points although Forbes has been performing far above expectations.”

OCTOBER 31, 2009 - Hornets bow out of Nordreich Cup

Despite outplaying Northern Reich for ball possession and bombarding keeper Hillo Maalepp with 9 shots on net, NVK Kaapstad Hornets dropped a 2-1 decision at Greenpoint Stadium and were knocked out of the Nordreich Cup. The match was a repeat result of Northern Reich’s first win in the semi-final round.

Anton Kruuv and Arved Lokko scored for the visitors while Ricardo van Deinsen potted home the lone goal for the Hornets. Goalkeeper Tafadzwa Masamba was lost early to a major injury and a cold Oskar Dietze was unable to deal with Northern Reich’s few offensive chances, allowing in 2 of their 3 attempts. At the other end of the pitch, Reich’s keeper Hillo Maalepp was a wall against the Hornets’ attackers and accumulated an 89% average on saves.

Kaapstad dominated the X11 squad for the second round of cup ties with five player selections however Reich manger St6mm walked away with the manager honours for his impressive performance to advance to the finals despite the apparent odds in today’s match.

The Nordreich Cup finals will feature high-flying Nordenstrom United versus Northern Reich. The first match will take place next Saturday with the final leg on November 14.

NOVEMBER 8, 2009 - Hornets sign Namibian forward prospect

Kaapstad Hornets made a couple of unexpected roster changes this morning when injured veteran goalkeeper Tafadzwa Masamba was released so that Manager Bartnel Botha could sign promising junior prospect Desmond Nghaamwa.

“We lost Masamba to a nasty injury in our last cup match against Northern Reich and he would be out for our next four or five matches. While I would have kept him on, when Desmond Nghaamwa suddenly came on our scouting radar, he was just too good to pass up on despite us having a real glut of young forward prospects.”

“In the past month we have been most fortunate in acquiring two junior youngsters who will potentially evolve into quality players in two or three seasons. Last month we signed chippy speedster Sipho Griekwa, who we are grooming to take over freekicking duties when Izmir Jejaz is not available, and now comes Desmond, who hails from Namibia and very fast and adept at heading the ball. Combine these two with Harald Heidrich and Bernie Forbes acquired off the transfer wire and we now have the core future of attack for the next 10 or so seasons.”

NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - Hornets sign Ngwane from Springboks

Kaapstad Hornets boosted their defense today by acquiring 19-year-old Dingiswayo Ngwane from the Transvaal Springboks. While toiling as a prospect-in-training during two campaigns with the Springboks, Ngwane is expected to step in and make an immediate impact with the Hornets.

“I’m really looking forward to playing alongside Eugene Tchami, one of the hardest working young fullbacks in the whole Nordreich Liga” said an excited Ngwane.

The Zulu youth will bring a booming shot and calming, steady demeanor to the Hornets’ fullback corps. With Kaapstad generally weak up front, the league’s strongest defense will need to carry the rest of the squad most match days and, as he told the press today, Dingiswayo Ngwane “relishes the prospects of becoming a leading player both on this team and in the Nordreich Liga.”

NOVEMBER 29, 2009 - Hornets advance to Baron Zemo Cup final

Kaapstad Hornets handily defeated FC Noordrijk to advance to the Baron Zemo Open Cup finals. Nordreich Cup champions Nordenstrom United also advanced to the finals with a 4-0 drubbing of league leaders Scottoria FC. The Hornets now find themselves in the position of definite underdogs against a squad they have yet to walk away with a victory against Nordenstrom.

The match was much closer on the scoreboard than what it appeared on the pitch as NVK Kaapstad fielded a hodge-podge squad consisting of veterans and prospects. Sipho Griekwa gave the Hornets an early lead with his breakaway goal just two minutes into the match but it took the favourites another 74 minutes to bag their second tally when former Transvaal Springboks legend Ricardo van Deinsen headed the ball past a dazed Noordijk keeper Eric Hoekstra from a dangerous Eugene Tchami corner kick.

Kaapstad then scored their third goal when Hoekstra was beat yet again on a cornerkick set-play in the 82nd minute when Tchami connected the ball to Van Deinsen, who then deftly fed a waiting Izmir Jejaz to tap in. Otto Getzlaf assisted on the opening goal by Griekwa.

At the other end of the field, Hornets keeper Oskar Dietze faced just 3 shots while his opposite Hoekstra was 50% on saves from Kaapstad’s six attempts.

Nordenstrom United and NVK Kaapstad Hornets will faceoff on December 5 in what most observers are predicting to be a Nordenstrom walk-over with the Hornets outclassed for talent in all positions except defense – in which the Transvalers hold a distinct advantage despite their high goals-allowed during league play. The Hornets also dominate in player form across the board in the entire league and that will be critical if they are to have any chance breaking down the Nordreich Cup champions.

DECEMBER 2, 2009 - Overconfident Hornets choke to Noordrijk

An overconfident Kaapstad squad struggled today against FC Noordrijk, dropping a surprise 2-1 decision at Greenpoint Stadium. As Manager Botha explained after the final whistle, “two things went wrong for us today: First, we completely underestimated Noordrijk and overestimated our ability going into the match. We expected them to roll over and not put up a fight - so a squad utilising quite a few second-stringers and prospects was field. And secondly, unfortuanetly we saw very poor form throughout and crashed out in the second half. Our goalkeeping was abysmal. It was simply one of the worst outings by us all season long.”

DECEMBER 5, 2009 - Baron Zemo Cup remains in Nordenstrom

Despite almost an hour of play with an advantage in numbers, NVK Kaapstad Hornets were unable to pull off an upset comeback to defeat favourites Nordenstrom United for the Baron Zemo Open Cup.

“We played our hearts out with one of our best line-ups and efforts to date, but we simply could not get the ball past their keeper Hélio Ferraz” commented an exasperated Manager Bartnel Botha.

Nordenstrom took an early 2 goal lead after beating Hornets goalkeeper Oskar Dietze first on a penalty shot and then nine minutes later on a corner set-play. They then ran into some serious trouble when their lone forward in their 5-4-1 fromation, Herman Ólafsson, received a red card and was sent off in the 36th minute. Prospect forward Desmond Nghaamwa got the Hornets on the scorecard just minutes into the second half when Dakarai Baako set him up for a breakaway one-on-one to beat Ferraz. But Kaapstad were unable to find the equalizer despite outplaying Nordenstrom for the remainder of the match.

“I knew we would be in hard against them, going into the match, but when they saw their red card from Referee Laura Norder, we really needed to exploit opportunities like that and make the most of them – which we failed to capitalise on.”

With the two cup runs over for the season, the league and its teams can start to focus on the final five weeks and the horserace which has unfolded in the standings.

A single goal is all that separates Nordenstorm United and Scottoria from first place, with Northern Reich tied for points (19) with Nordenstrom and Scottoria despite not registering any league losses yet but stuck in third place on account of its greater number of draws. Kaapstad Hornets are close behind in fourth place with 16 points but a bungled loss at home this week versus FC Noordrijk has probably destroyed any hopes of stealing the championship.

Looking at ahead at the remaining schedule, two big money matches remain: the December 16 meeting between Nordenstrom United and Scottoria which will be critical in breaking the deadlock between the two leading sides, and the December 26 tilt between Northern Reich and the Hornets in which the visiting Hornets need the three points if they are to have any remote chance of moving up the table and finish better than fourth place.

Nordreich Liga Season II
JANUARY 10, 2010 - Hornets strengthen in goal

Manager Bartnel Botha released forward Harald Heidrich today to make room for goalkeeper prospect Tusker Doumbé, stating that “a quality keeper like Tusker is a rare find and we would be fools not to sign him.”

Heidrich was Kaapstad’s first-ever free-agent signing but club expectations of him deflated after his less than impressive progress report yesterday.

“We thought he would have increased noticeably in skill during the off-season but he failed to live up to my expectations. We already have a glut of young forwards all looking for playing time now in the shorter season, so he became expendable.”

When asked if the Hornets had any further roster changes in store, Manager Botha replied that “after last season’s merry-go-round with 31 players signed at some point and using 27 players, I am planning to consolidate more this season and pretty much stick with who we have now.”

“It’s possible the injury-prone Jaouad Nasser may be moved, as I currently have him listed on the transfer wires, but apart from him I like the squad we have. Nasser was simply brought in as a short-term stop-gap measure so the fact we are trying to move him now should be no surprise.”

JANUARY 15, 2010 - More changes in goal

After going on record that the Hornets roster was set for the season, Manager Bartnel Botha pulled off a sudden and unexpected acquision when he signed John Reynolds as Kaapstad’s fourth goalkeeper. The logjam in net won’t last for too long however as Mosely Nlend Wome is on his way out after the club recived an offer for him on the transfer wire. He is expected to depart on this Sunday.

Wome played 8 matches last season for Kaapstad Hornets, pulling off an impressive 77% save average albeit against weaker teams – however after the promotion of the talented Tusker Doumbé last week from the junior squad, it appeared that Wome’s playing time would see a reduction.

While most clubs carry two keepers, the Hornets have generally used a three-man rotation so that high form compensated for deficiencies in talent in the Hornets very young netminding corps. John Reynolds was an opportune signing which all but consigned Wome to demand a transfer out of the club.

“Despite his age, Reynolds will bring a coolness and sense of leadership that Wome – or any of our other keepers – don’t have. Our goalkeepers as a group are very young and granted we do suffer some matches because of that, but give them two seasons to develop and we will have build a solid the foundation for the following five to seven seasons.”

JANUARY 29, 2010 - Hornets blank champions

Kaapstad Hornets bagged their first win of the regular season in style, shutting out Liga champions Scottoria FC 2-0 at Greenpoint Stadium. The solid victory propelled 4 Hornets on to the X11 Team for Week 3 and garnered Bartnel Botha the manager of the week honours for Liga 1.

“For some reason, we dominate Scottoria when we play in Cape Town” commented Manager Botha as the post-game media scrum. “I think today we simply wanted the win more than they did, they looked somewhat flat out there”.

Ian Smith opened the scoring for the Hornets in the 13th minute with a header off the set-play; captain Dean Hankers picked up the assist after Ralf Handke, making his debut with the club since being acquired a few days ago, deftly fed him the ball from his corner kick. Then in the second half, penalty kick point-man Dingiswayo Ngwane boomed the ball home past a dazed Trevor McAlinden.

While ball possession was almost split evenly between the teams, Kaapstad had 9 opportunities on net compared to just 4 for the defending champions. Scottoria did not see a shot on net until the second half after the Hornets had already had fours tries. Goalkeeper Oskar Dietze played impressively after a slow start this season and had a career match while Anthony Davids picked up his third X11 selection of the season, leading all fullbacks in the Liga.

FEBRUARY 24, 2010 - Liga' best defense just got stronger

NVK Kaapstad Hornets, who have the strongest defense in the entire Nordreich Liga, got even stronger today with the promotion of impressive 19-year-old junior prospect Benin Ndiako.

“We are extremely pleased with the signing of Ndiako. Our junior scout had originally informed us he was a 5-bar talent – but once we signed him, and actually got to see him suit up and run some practice trials with the senior squad, turns out he is actually a 6-bar player,” said an overjoyed Manager Bartnel Botha at today’s post-training media conference.

The signing of Ndiako meant that unproductive fullback Nbeko Sokoto was released by the club. Sokoto was one of seven original Hornets from their initial roster but had very little to show for after 18 matches with the club. It also means that Kaapstad now has two impressive, young freekickers in Benin Ndiako and midfielder Ralf Handke once Izmir Jejaz hangs up the boots.

“The troika of Ndiako, Ngwane, and Tchami will provide a formidable backbone for our defense for many, many future seasons” said Botha.

Nordreich Liga Season III
MARCH 22, 2010 - New sweaters for Hornets

Manager Bartnel Botha unveiled new sweaters for NVK Kaapstad Hornets this morning. Gone are the yellow short-sleeve jerseys with the black diagonal stripe, replaced with the new Killer Bees long-sleeve look.

“With most of the Nordreich Liga teams based in the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, our players wanted something a little warmer. We also wanted to accentuate our nickname and what better way than to look like a bunch of bumblebees out on the field?” joked Manager Botha during the press conference.

The new look will debut tomorrow at Greenpoint Stadium when the Hornets host expansion team Nacional CF in a friendly.

=Player Merits=
 * Dakarai Baako 1st most assists (8 assists) in Season 1 (Liga 1)
 * Dakarai Baako 2nd most points (13 points) in Season 1 (Liga 1)
 * Eugene Tchami 1st most sending offs (2 red cards) in Season 1 (Liga 1)

=Youngest and oldest players=
 * Youngest: (17) Sturton Le Steeple (midfielder) was signed to the club for nine days and played 1 game before being released.
 * Oldest: (32) Ricardo van Deinsen (forward) and Anthony Davids (fullback)

=Captains=
 * Nordreich Liga Season I - Dean Hankers (midfielder)
 * Nordreich Liga Season II - Dean Hankers (midfielder)

= "Zero Heroes" = The following players were signed by the club as part of their expansion roster but never participated in a competitive match.

=See also=
 * Nordreich Liga
 * Transvaal Springboks (Liga Mundo)
 * Windhoek Welwitschia (Vedder League)
 * Transvaal Voetbalsvereniging