Concern for amateur sport
"We are mere weeks away from losing 50 per cent of our golf courses."
Cyril Lehongcyrill@caxton.co.za
While the move to level three of the lockdown is viewed as a step to opening up the economy, the sporting world remains clueless on when they can get back to action.
Last weekend the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture announced that professional sports teams and individuals can get back to training.
This may seem good but the majority of local clubs carry amateur status.
This means they are unlikely to take part in competitions any time soon.
“I think the 2020 season is gone,” said Brakpan Rugby Club’s chairperson Harry Niewenhuisen.
It was always going to be tough to get rugby back this winter as it is a contact sport but things also seem bleak for non-contact sport.
While it was previously thought that golf clubs would open soon, the latest decision to let only professional sports stars train has left many worried about the future of the sport.
“For us, it’s challenging that only professional golf is being allowed back because in the grand scheme of things there are only a few professional golfers in the country and there’s 140 000 club members that play and a lot more that are just casual golfers,” said the CEO of GolfRSA, Grant Hepburn.
“We are mere weeks away from losing 50 per cent of our golf courses.”
This is alarming for local clubs such as State Mines Country Club and Royal Oak Country Club.
Hepburn also pointed out that clubs employ a number of people and survival of the courses is important for the sake of the employees.
While Golf RSA continues to engage the government in an effort to find a way forward, other sports are also concerned about what will happen.
The lockdown has seen the Valke as a rugby union unable to fund clubs as normal.
“The Valke doesn’t have an income,” said Nieuwenhuis.
While Brakpan has managed to maintain their fields throughout the lockdown, the situation is financially strenuous.
“We are out of R500 000 to R600 000 for the year,” said the club’s chairperson.
Niewenhuisen does point out, however, that Brakpan is one of the bigger clubs and they will be able to survive and plan for 2021, which is their centenary year.
He does worry about the smaller clubs.
“I’m terrified for the smaller clubs such as Kempton and Nigel,” he said.
“If you look at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park you’ll see that it’s in a terrible state.
“Some people believe that level one, where sports clubs will be able to play again, will happen soon, while others are not so sure.
“I don’t know when we will be in level one, maybe around September,” said the rugby man.
He expects the Valke to play some Currie Cup games later this year but feels there will be no club rugby action in 2020.
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