Tournament keeps children off the streets
Sub Region-E League Finals took place at the Tsakane Stadium on September 4 with teams completing for first position across divisions.
Tsakani – Sub Region-E League Finals took place at the Tsakane Stadium on September 4. Sub Region-E chairperson and tournament coordinator, Dibuseng Tsotetsi, explained that the tournament was established in 2012.
“We have been running the tournament since then and are affiliated with the association. The tournament started in March and has now reached the finals.
“We have four teams in each division, including U13 and U15. It was not easy, but here we are now. Along the way, we had a lot of teams drop out,” she explained.
Tsotetsi said they have faced struggles with parents and some teams that could not continue because of various challenges.
She further cited that their mission is to take children away from the streets, saying they play in the township because there are many challenges, especially drugs.
“The children must be kept busy at all times. I understand that there are schools and that children must attend school, but there must be something they do besides school.
“That helps keep them away from the streets, drugs and other negative influences,” she explained.
She said the tournaments have been impactful for the players, and a lot has happened since they started.
“There have been very few cases of girls getting pregnant, and some of the children who were involved have continued progressing in different areas.
“They have been growing and developing, and that is something we are proud of. We want to see these children playing at the highest level in South Africa,” explained Tsotetsi.
“We are the foundation, so we are developing them from the ground up. We want to see them reach the top.”
Tsotetsi highlighted that no successful players will emerge without development at the foundation level.
She said when they started the tournament, they had coaches who did not know much and teams that did not know much.
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“But we kept going and developing until we reached where we are now,” she said.
Tsotetsi added that they need sponsors, as they only receive sponsorship from the netball association.
“But we are struggling to get support from the municipality as well. We struggle to get sponsors, so we go from door to door and approach different people for assistance.
“Even getting trophies is a struggle, but we manage to do whatever we can,” she added.
She further added that they would appreciate financial support, particularly for the opening of the tournament. They need transportation, medals (especially for teams that don’t have them), and balls.
“We currently have only one ball, so we need more equipment. If someone could assist us with equipment, it would make a big difference.
“We do need proper facilities. We especially need an indoor facility where the players can train and develop,” she said.
Most teams competing in the tournament have a blend of both genders. Tsotetsi said South Africa needs balance.
“We believe in developing both boys and girls from the foundation phase. We blend them because we start them from scratch and want them to grow together. We do not want to exclude anyone,” she highlighted.
In conclusion, she said they would appreciate any assistance.
“There are teams that travel from far away and have to find their own way here and back.
“There are other teams we play against that are much more advanced than us, so we need assistance to improve our facilities, equipment and overall development,” she concluded.
