Netball enthusiasts are driven by passion
To celebrate the completion of the court, Tornado Stars took on Shine On Us.
Kwa-Thema – Netball mentors got their hands dirty and built a netball court to inspire the youth.
“We were tired of waiting; our children are getting discouraged because we have no proper facilities.
“That is when we approached the community to ask for donations to build our netball court,” explained Dimakatso Mapogosha.
The founder of Tornado Stars with the help of others, built the court at the old Kwa-Thema Combined School.
“Having this court also affords our players exposure and more time to challenge other teams.
“We still have other challenges because we want to host tournaments.
“Sometimes we wish to play with teams in other areas but some of our parents cannot afford to pay for transport,” she added.
The team also received donations of bibs and kits. They have three active age categories.
“We are trying to get these young people off the streets. I believe this is about much more than sport.
“By participating in sports, they can avoid teenage pregnancy and drug addiction. We teach respect and discipline.
“These are principles they use in their lives, even outside the court,” said Nokuthula Malabe, coach of Shine On Us.
She admits they are struggling.
“We are so passionate. We are willing to give everything that we can. We need to secure sports grounds.
“Sometimes our balls get ruined because our courts are surrounded by long grass. There are broken bottles that we cannot see.
“That also poses a risk to the players because they can get seriously injured in this environment,” she added.
To celebrate the completion of the court, Tornado Stars recently took on Shine On Us.
Shine On Us came out heads and shoulders above Tornado Stars, beating them in all three age categories.
