Ballito ballers back on the pitch
Founder Steve Welsh said he was proud of how far the club has come in just five years after its inception in 2018.
Ballito United FC (BUFC) junior footballers are back in action and are looking to build on last season’s fantastic results.
The club has more than 230 members and continues to grow year-on-year as word spreads about the quality of coaching and competition on offer.
There is a strong case for BUFC being rated the best junior club in the province, with seven of the eight age group teams (U10-U17) winning their leagues in 2022.
Founder Steve Welsh said he was proud of how far the club has come in just five years after its inception in 2018.
“We have made great strides as a club, both on and off the pitch. This year is the first year we have a girls only team, while we offer sponsored membership to a number of underprivileged kids in the area,” he said.
“It has been important to us to empower coaches too, by helping them to earn their coaching qualifications and employ them more regularly. We have 14 coaches on our staff this year.”
There are now players on waiting lists to join teams given the club’s popularity.
“Although the competition is important, we want to provide structure and opportunity to the kids first and foremost which will hopefully impact their lives outside of the club,” said Welsh.
They are certainly competitive however, as exhibited by the 18 teams who played league games on Sunday.
BUFC delivered a return of 12 wins, three draws and three losses at pitches across the greater Durban area and at home base, which is now at Crawford North Coast International College.
There were a few standout wins on the day, including a 7-1 victory for BUFC girls against Linfield A, and thrilling comeback win for the U17s.
Playing against Durban’s Juventus, the U17s went 2-0 down early in the first half and looked in danger of collapse against a strong attacking team.
But they rallied well, scoring four unanswered goals to win 4-2 and complete an impressive about-face.
Some other big scores include two 7-0 victories for the U8B side against Juventus and the U15A squad versus Escombe.
Junior league matches are played every Sunday.
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