Premier Soccer League side Platinum Stars unveiled a new logo as well as a new look on Friday as the sporting franchise re-branded itself in line with its owners, the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
A new logo, a new kit, a new home, but the same Platinum Stars that serves the people of the North West Province as the only top-flight football club in the region, and one that continues to strive to involve the local community.
The move from Johannesburg to the Phokeng region in January this year brought the club closer to the people of the North West, and helps to solidify the team within the local community it ultimately serves.
Following the relocation, the second phase of that integration has begun as the club presents a new face, one that reflects the Royal Bafokeng Nation, who hold a 100 percent stake in the team.
The re-branding of the club begins with the logo. The colours of blue and green are in line with the flag of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, while the crocodile is an important emblem in the history of the Bafokeng people. The posture of the crocodile, with its mouth closed, is one of peace.
The new PUMA kit has the same green and blue, a move away from the red and black of previous seasons. This makes the side truly representative of the region and ambassadors for the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
The kit was designed as a collaborated effort between the club and PUMA so as to provide the perfect brand extension for Platinum Stars on the one hand, but also the latest in sportswear technology for the players.
And the club has another new beginning after taking up residence into its new home, the Bafokeng Sports Campus, which was used by England during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was lauded as a world-class facility by Fabio Capello and his men.
The 65-hectare facility is a multi-sports mecca, but for football it has six grass fields, two Astroturf fields, two half-size Astroturf fields, six practice walls, an indoor soccer facility, a beach soccer pitch, a five-star hotel, a two-star motel and academy, a high-performance gym, spa, and medical rooms, and a team clubhouse.
“It is vital to us that the Bafokeng people identify with Platinum Stars and by re-branding ourselves with the colours and the emblems of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, we have entered a new dawn in the history of this club. We are excited about the future and the challenges that lay ahead, but we have world-class expertise on the management and technical side, excellent, hungry players and facilities that are the envy of many football clubs around the world,” said Platinum Stars General Manager Jason Raine.
PUMA have also expressed their delight at continuing their association with Platinum Stars into the 2011/12 campaign and beyond.
“We are delighted to continue building our relationship with Stars who are one of the most ambitious teams in the PSL, have a terrific World Cup standard home ground and are set for great things when the new season kicks off. We are confident that our new kit design will sit well with the fans and will inspire the players on the pitch,” said Brett Bellinger, the Marketing Director of PUMA SA.
