Netball uniting young girls and women in Bethal and eMzinoni
“We most of the times sit with a problem where the girls eventually play barefoot causing discomfort, blisters and injuries to their feet.”
Something as basic as shoes can restore the dignity of a child or woman, masking disparities between the socio-economic classes between peers; contributing to their confidence and most importantly, the ability for them to play at their most optimal level.
In collaboration with other local teams, the It’s For Us Netball Club are promoting a donation drive of netball/sport tekkies for players from ages 13-years to women in their 40’s.
“We have a problem where some of the girls we play with don’t always have netball tekkies. You see them borrow each other tekkies in between games. Which isn’t always possible if games are running congruently, then you find some of them are then forced to play barefoot on concrete and gravel,” said Ms Thuli Zulu (marketing manager for It’s For Us Netball Club).
“We witnessed first-hand in a game of our U/16’s team, where a star player had to sit out a game they were leading in, during the final quarter because playing barefoot had become unbearable with the discomfort, blisters and injuries to her feet. We ended up winning that game, we certainly didn’t enjoy that win.” Said Ms Zulu.
The other problem this netball community is facing is some of the other players don’t play in netball friendly shoes which lead to the same blister and injury issue just like the girls without shoes.
The team began with the goal of raising 10 netball tekkies and have managed to raise a total of 25 so far.
They urge the public to kindly help with raising more than 50 netball tekkies by October; where the It’s For Us Netball club will have a handover netball tournament where the identified girls and women will be gifted with netball tekkies and any other in-kind donations in collaboration with any local brands and private donations.
The Highveld Ridge Riders from eMzinoni, Bethal have pledged and sponsored gazebos, refreshments and oranges to the players for the handover tournament in October.
The netball club’s Coach Bongi Qwesha appreciates and welcomes anyone who would like to donate to the cause; brand new or pre-loved sports/netball tekkies.
Should you want to purchase directly from their supplier, Gem School Wear in Durban has been generous to discount every shoe from R210 to R170.
You can contact Coach Qwesha or Ms Zulu or the store directly for more details.
“It’s more than netball to the community, as the game is a fun social experience of facilitating exercise, keeping one from things that are not safe or good for you or becoming idle and uninspired at home.
“It’s more than netball because really there is a future in the game like playing at a provincial level to sports bursaries, scholarships to universities and travelling internationally with tours and a coaching career,” said Ms Zulu.
She said the club, the netball friendly games, tournaments and donation drives are a fun way of exchanging empowering information but first need to eliminate the problem of netball tekkies, which could hinder the players from showing up in the first place.
If you would like to assist in any capacity at all from donating brand new/ pre-loved tekkies, to making a bigger impact in the handover tournament by donating healthy food, water, whistles, branding etc, you can contact Ms Thuli Zulu at 072 701 9303(WhatsApp) or 081 550 6899 (phone calls) or Coach Bongi Qwesha at 079 796 3136.
