The underdogs are victorious
The Growing Champions team has not only won the hearts and minds of many, but they have also beaten the hand dealt to them.
Overcoming adversity is something that the team at Growing Champions knows a lot about, and their football team has recently proved that.
The Growing Champions (GC) soccer team are the undefeated champions of the Rand Central Local Football Association (RCLFA) senior league.
The 18-strong team look forward to progressing to the premier league next week.
Their players have had to, and against all odds, fight to chart a new path for themselves to give themselves a chance.
Growing Champions is a Northcliff-based charity led by founder Samantha Toweel-Moore 12 years ago. She said, “We help children to break the shackles of poverty, criminal rings, violence, addiction and abuse.”
Two of her first intakes were Clive Letshaba (25), now coach, and Ashton Fernol (26) the assistant coach.
They both grew up in Eldorado Park, a gangland, frequently making headlines for violence and death. “The team is in a way a new gang but a healthy one compared to those that harm children and communities,” added Toweel-Moore.
Letshaba, who still lives in Eldorado Park said, “None of us had a great start in life but through GC and with Sam’s love and care we are now not only living a better life but are helping others.”
Fernol added, “To win against clubs that have been around for decades like Old Parks and those who have proper funding and resources is amazing. It’s crazy.”
Compared to their peers, the GC coaches are younger than the others in the league and certainly don’t fit the traditional mould. “It sometimes takes people time to acknowledge us but that is ok, we expect that and will continue to use sport as a vehicle for good,” said Letshaba.
They are both qualified coaches with South African Football Association D coaching licences.
The two young men, and others in the team, now mentor and train those who have come after them in a deliberate act of #PayingItForward. “It’s not about the traumas behind us, it’s about the choices in front of us,” said Toweel-Moore.
Letshaba concluded, “The GC players have brought not only passion and skill to the league but have proven that with enough dedication, determination and humility you can achieve your dreams.”
To learn more or to make a donation, visit www.growingchamps.co.za
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