After sealing their promotion to the DSTV Premiership for next season, Magesi FC coach
Clinton Larsen has confirmed preparations for top-flight football are underway.

The Limpopo-based outfit secured their spot in the elite league after a 3-1 win over Milford
FC over the weekend, a victory that saw Larsen’s men win the Motsepe Foundation
Championship with two games to spare.

The 53-year-old mentor, who was appointed in January 2023 with Magesi struggling in 12th
place in the second-tier standings, has credited the achievement to hard work and the duration
of his time at the club.

“It was a long, hard battle; it wasn’t as easy as it seems. Lots of hard work and planning went
into achieving this, especially in the off-season. Fortunately for me, I joined the team midway
through last season,” he said, speaking on Metro FM’s Sports Nights Amplified with host
Andile Ncube. 

With the 2023–24 campaign nearing its conclusion, Larsen has been vocal about the club’s
plans and revealed he has been speaking to several players about joining Magesi, as he
believes booking their Dstv Premiership spot this early allows sufficient time to plan ahead of
their first ever top flight season.
“That’s exactly what we didn’t want to happen—going into the last game needing a point or
needing a draw, and then going into the playoffs.

“So to do it this way gives us a lot of time to prepare for the new season, and at 6 a.m. this
morning, I was already on the phone with players, already trying to set up their contracts and
talk to players about joining the club. “We don’t want to find ourselves in a situation that
[Cape Town] Spurs did, so we’ve got to learn. from other clubs and make sure we are better
prepared, and I’m sure we will be.

“I’m ten quality players away [from avoiding relegation battles], and with National First
Division (NFD) and PSL experience, I’m saying ten because you need depth as well in the
PSL. I already have an idea of who I want to bring. I have already spoken to certain players,”
he added.

The Durban-born coach also took time to heap praise on the management of the club and the
stability they have shown in running the team.

“The team is only two years old, and to do what we did with two games to spare, I think
everyone at the club deserves a round of applause—I think management as well,” said
Larsen.
“It’s the first time I’ve worked at a club, and I’ve been given complete freedom to mould this
team the way I see fit. I’ve been here for 15 months now, and not once has there been any
form of interference in my work.

“And this is such a stable club because in the 15 months I’ve been here, with all the stories
going around the NFD clubs with their financial problems, there’s not been a single day or
month where players at my club have been paid short or late.