Hout Bay United 2019-20Hout Bay United

Jurgen Klopp's other team? The South African club that caught the Liverpool boss' eye

What links Jurgen Klopp, a man from Croydon and ground-breaking social change on the outskirts of Cape Town?

If your answer is Hout Bay United, then congratulations – you must be one hell of a pub quiz player!

And if you’ve not heard of them, you should have.

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They aren’t an obvious choice for the foreign fan, operating in the humble third tier of South African football, ninth in the table at the time of writing, and residing in Hout Bay, an area only 1/15th the size of Klopp’s adopted city of Liverpool.

The club were formed in 2014, starting with some classic 'jumpers for goalposts' and the passion and energy of Croydon-based founder and club owner Jeremy Elson.

“I came over on honeymoon," says Elson. "But I loved the country and got an opportunity to move over about six months later.

“The project evolved from a social game between my staff, friends and kids who lived around the field. There was an amazing energy where everyone was equal, and the kids were talented. We began to understand the power we had as mentors. That’s when we looked to start the team.”

So how did Klopp become a follower of such an obscure team, around 14,000km away from his boys in red? 

Well, Hout Bay United are much more than a football club, as Elson explains.

He says: “Our aim is to unite the communities of Hout Bay, uplift youth through mentorship and bring pride to Hout Bay through successful football, successful programmes and developing great people.”

Hout Bay United 2019-20

Despite three decades passing since the end of the apartheid system in the country, many areas in South Africa remain split along racial lines. Black and white inhabitants live together yet remain deeply divided economically.  

Hout Bay is a typical example of this, made up of predominantly white households of middle to high income in the “Valley”, with a majority black population in the settlement of Imizamo Yethu, where day-to-day life can be a struggle.

Hout Bay United, though, are doing their best to force progressive social change, bringing people of all backgrounds together not just to win football matches, but to better their community.

They are host to 14 teams and around 500 players across all age groups, of all races and genders, and who are all exclusively from Hout Bay. "A South African version of Athletic Bilbao," is one description.

“We have a holistic philosophy and have put in place a player development pathway which looks to uplift off the pitch, but in doing so improve performance on the pitch,” says Elson.

This community involvement has had significant results. According to official stats from the local police commissioner, for example, Hout Bay experiences up to an 80 per cent drop in crime rate on the night of home fixtures.

After making such an impact on their community in their infant years, it comes as no surprise that the club caught the eye of one of the biggest managers in world football.

But just how did Klopp become affiliated with Hout Bay United?

“Jurgen came over in November 2017," Elson says. "He put on a great private event at the local market to 2,000 or so people, chatting about his career in a really informal setting to raise funds. We have been in contact ever since and he’s continued to help us regularly."

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Klopp has even, in tandem with New Balance, been able to provide training kit for the club, and last year made a personal donation of £10,000 to the club's 'Joy is Round' children's charity. Cape Town is a favourite holiday destination of the Liverpool boss and his agent, Marc Kosicke.

In an effort to tell the story of the club more effectively, Hout Bay United have recently partnered with digital platform provider PT SportSuite with the aim of taking their media output to the next level.

The partnership will allow the club to increase the amount of digital content they capture, store, manage and publish to their fans, while innovative technology – including a platform for fans to share their own multimedia, and an augmented reality scanning tool – will allow the club and their supporters to interact in new and exciting ways, providing more value for the community of Hout Bay.

PT SportSuite CEO Richard Cheary, a passionate Liverpool fan, says: “Hout Bay have a very unique story within the football world and one which can help to inspire other clubs across football wanting to make a difference in their communities.

“We are excited to work with Jeremy and the team by bringing them the platform solutions that will allow them to build a digital community around the club. Our digital systems will ensure they can spend less time in the office and more time on the field doing what they do best with these young people and adults.”

Hout Bay United 2019-20

Elson, meanwhile, says his long-term goals for Hout Bay go way beyond just football and he hopes to continue to make positive changes to people’s lives.

“Our partnership with PT SportSuite means we’ll have the tools to start managing our digital media in line with professional sporting organisations," he says. "Hopefully this journey can take the amazing story of this club and tell it through the eyes of all the different characters who make up the Hout Bay United Football Community.

“It’s a worthy story and a worthwhile cause that hopefully more and more people can now be exposed to it.”

And who knows, we may even see Elson's social model implemented closer to home.

“If we reach our goals and we can build a transferable model then it would be amazing to try and implement similar programmes in other parts of the world for sure,” he says.

For more information on Hout Bay United, click here.

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