Gallants Pack Bags For Royal Bafokeng Stadium Comeback
Marumo Gallants chairman Abram Sello has confirmed that the club will bid farewell to Bloemfontein ahead of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season, with Bahlabane Ba Ntwa officially relocating their home matches to Rustenburg in the North West.
After purchasing the status of Moroka Swallows ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Gallants made Bloemfontein their home for the past two seasons, hosting their home fixtures at Dr Molemela Stadium.
However, the club has now decided to return to the North West, where they will play their home matches at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the new season, Sello explained that the move back to Rustenburg was motivated by the club’s strong relationship with the local community and the desire to return to a place they have always regarded as home.
“I think one thing you have to understand is that North West has been our home over the previous seasons,” said Sello.
“Unfortunately, renovations forced us to relocate, and we had to look for other arrangements. We went to another venue, but challenges remained, and we continued to provide feedback on those facilities.
“We had to change our logistics system, which became challenging in terms of travelling. Our players were always getting tired because of the distances involved.
“We believe this new arrangement will be much better and will help alleviate those challenges.
“So now we go back to North West, where we have unfinished work. The community was still supporting us very well. Unfortunately, the facilities at the time didn’t allow it to work for us.
“If those facilities had not required renovations, we probably would never have left. So, this is a good move, although it comes with its own challenges, and we are expecting to continue from where we left off.”
Although Gallants will now play their home matches in Rustenburg, Sello clarified that the club’s day-to-day operations will remain unchanged. Both the senior team and the DStv Diski Challenge side will continue to be based in Gauteng.
“The unfortunate part is that many of our players own properties in Gauteng, where their families and homes are,” Sello added.
“Those who are new to the team also stay close to where we train in Pretoria, at the famous High School and TUT. We want to make sure the players are not placed under unnecessary strain.
“So we are based mainly in Pretoria for training and accommodation for both our DDC and senior team. We will travel to Rustenburg to play our matches, and all the other operations will continue as normal.”
Gallants’ return to Rustenburg will, however, have to wait a little longer. Bahlabane Ba Ntwa were scheduled to open their 2026/27 Betway Premiership campaign against African champions Mamelodi Sundowns this weekend, but the fixture has been postponed.
