Veteran sports club’s plea for funds ‘ignored’
Pensioners who are members of the Ramogodi Veterans sports club, previously known as the Itireleng Grannies United, are in need of a sports field of their own. The club helps keep the elderly in good health.
The Ramogodi Veterans sports club is a unique pensioners’ sports club. The club is situated in Ga-Rankuwa and is well-known for its players’ ability to be all-rounders. Its primary purpose is to keep pensioners in shape and to lower their stress levels.
The club was formed in 2012 in Ga-Rankuwa under the name Itireleng Grannies United. The name was later changed to the Ramogodi Veterans Sports Club after the grannies wished to participate in activities other than soccer. “Itireleng only focused on soccer, so we had to form a new team that focused on different sporting codes. The other challenge that led to the renaming was the inability of some elders to play soccer,” said Ramogodi coach, Jutas Pitsoane.
Most of the participants are aged 60 and older. They participate in games such as golden games, fun runs and walks, as well as athletics. Since the club was formed, it has won all its provincial games and they qualified to play in the national games last year. Wendy Mauwane said she benefited from the club in many ways. “I have high blood pressure and exercising frequently is one of the methods I use to keep it under control. Talking to my teammates also helps to ease stress,” said Mauwane.
Despite their hard work and dedication, the club faces challenges both on the field and with its management. The club is struggling financially and their sustainability relies on their pension money. They have applied for aid from the Department of Arts and Culture but their application was allegedly ignored, according to Pitsoane.
The major challenge they face on the field is that they do not have a proper playing field that belongs to them. The club’s goalkeeper, Martha Montoedi, said the fact that they did not have a proper field denied her an opportunity to practice well. “I wish our local municipality could build a field for us and provide us with the necessary equipment,” she said.
Merriam Selepe, a 70-year-old player, said another problem was a lack of medical aid and that this discouraged those who thought about joining. “We do not have medical aid. It is hard to help injured players,” Selepe said.
The veterans said that in future they wanted to include activities such as music and cultural dance. They also said they wanted to use the club to prove to the community that nothing was impossible.
