Local football grows from infancy

Henry ‘Shooz’ Mwelase

The 2015 SAFA Newcastle LFA Super League kicks off this Saturday (April 18).

This is thanks to the hard work of the current football committee, with the programme organised and managed by chairman, Reverend Jabu Sithebe and his executive committee.

2015’s programme was preceded by the under-13, u-15 and u-17 Youth League in February.

The Super League will feature a total of 57 senior teams from across the Newcastle area, divided into five streams and representing oSizweni, Normandien, Madadeni, Charlestown and Newcastle itself.

oSizweni boasts the most entered teams with 18, eight in Stream A and 10 in Stream B.

Of the remainder, Normandien has eight teams, Charlestown has 11 teams and both Newcastle and Madadeni have 10 teams preparing for the League.

Fixtures kick off in mid-April, and anticipated completion will be in September.

Looking at the number of participating football clubs, which leaves much to be desired, the issue of footballing venues remains a bone of contention.

The R1.2-million Phelendaba Grounds, for instance, are neglected and not maintained.

Affiliated football clubs need a proper soccer field of international standard, to match the expected by-products of competitive soccer, and this field must be kept in good condition.

Regular maintenance such as water sprinklers and grass-cutting programmes is vital.

The Phelendaba Grounds are considered a disgrace to football and the general sporting fraternity, with more than 40 years of development bearing no fruit after more than R3-million spent.

The National Sport Policy places local municipalities at grassroots implementation level.

Municipalities are expected to play a pivotal role in sport and sport development, which means they must provide services pertaining to infrastructure and financing of skills development programmes to communities, with specific regard to organised association football.

Sadly, sport seems to be regarded by municipalities as a peripheral project, despite its cohesive, disciplinary and character-developing power.

Managing a football club has become a cumbersome job, as most local football teams are amateurs and there is no significant financial reward for participation as in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Teams require a full set of jerseys, paying of annual affiliation fees, player registrations, transport to the fixture venues and the referee’s stipend.

Nevertheless, the 25-week football League programme will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony, where the most successful teams will be recognised and rewarded for their performance in the League.

Incentives usually comprise trophies, medals, soccer kits, balls, certificates, and in some cases financial incentives for the top three clubs in each tier.

Other players, referees, managers and coaches are usually forgotten during this ceremony of acknowledgement, yet they do deserve commendation for a job well done year after year.