Soccer uniforms and other sporting equipment have been handed to community football tournaments with the aim of developing the sport.
COMMUNITY football received a major boost when soccer clubs received over R1-million worth of equipment from the provincial sports department.
Football uniforms, training kits, balls, trophies and squeeze bottles were given to two of the most popular community football tournaments in Joburg - the Godfrey Moloi Goodwill Games and the KwaMahlobo Games - as well as other football tournaments around the province, by the Gauteng department of sports, arts, culture and recreation on Friday, 19 December.
The handing-over ceremony of the soccer kits was attended by representatives of football tournaments, including Tshepo Mabona Games, KwaMahlobo Games, Thembisa Games, Cell C Games and the newly formed Pollen Festive Games; soccer legends and Safa representatives.
Fani Mokoena, the director of 2010 technical co-ordination in the department, also handed over to soccer legends tracksuits that they could use "when conducting their day-to-day business".
"This symbolic handing over of football equipment is but one of our contributions to the development of football in the run towards the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. We want to ensure that there is a lasting legacy in the province beyond 2010," said Mokoena.
Progress and development
The football kits would be used by teams participating in the finals of the respective tournaments. "We are committed to seeing community football progress," he said.
Community football provides entertainment for township residents, especially during the festive season. The Godfrey Moloi Goodwill Games, for example, have been taking place in Soweto at Mapetla Grounds for the past 28 years and have entertained thousands of people from around the township.
The KwaMahlobo Games have been taking place in Meadowlands since 1998 and, like the Godfrey Moloi Goodwill Games, take place every year during the festive season. The various tournaments have produced top football players like Thabo Mooki, Papi Komane, Brian "Macarena" Gafane and Jacob Lekgetho.
Up until now, community football tournaments had been organised at local level, but the provincial sports department and Safa, the South African Football Association, were coming on board because of the popularity of the games and their significance in developing the sport, Mokoena said.
"We want to utilise the existing structures within community football to strengthen ties between the Gauteng sports department, community tournaments and Safa. We want to see more football clubs being created that will feed into our national team."
Women's soccer
A Safa Gauteng national executive committee member, Simon Sebapu, said the association would like to see women's football being included in community football tournaments.
"We should also focus on developing young talent like the 12-year-olds. These are people who would be representing the country in the future, like in the 2014 and 2018 world cups. We should see a continuum of development taking place."
The chairperson of South African Soccer Legends, Brian "Stopper" Tlale, said the tracksuits would boost the soccer legends' image. The association was committed to "serving" football.
"Most of us have turned our backs [on] football in the past years. But we want to see the game developing and we will be going to start with schools to ensure football has a sound footing," said Tlale.
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