SEBOKENG. – “It takes a village to raise a child”.

Together with her brother a young lady has seen need to open a soccer team that comprises of young boys ang girls in Zone 10 Extension 3, Sebokeng.

The team, called Black Starts United, was recently opened by Owner and President, Ntswaki and her bother who is its Manager, Thabang Mothibe. The siblings said that seeing the children wander around with nothing to do gave them ‘sleepless-nights’.

“We saw these children going around with nothing to do, hence we decided to empower them through sports. Some of them came here with low self-esteems but since they have been here, we are seeing a huge difference in them in that they have become open and are happier. Sports is a unifier, and it goes a long way in helping children make better choices in life,” the siblings said. The team is made up of under13 / Under11 and Under 17. One of the divisions is a mixture of both boys and girls. Seeing their determination, a community member, Cathrine Mosai who is also involved in Sports development at the Saul Tsotetsi Sports Complex has joined the team in an advisory role. “This is a good thing for the community, and I urge other residents to come out and show their support.”

The Mothibe’s said that they would eventually like to see the team developing into an academy that includes all the sporting codes and programmes such as life skills and others that would make young people better people of tomorrow. Team Coach, Tumelo Mahlatsi said, “We have been longing for something like this in our area and I wish these young boys and girls can hold on to this gift that they have been given and they will become better people in future.” *The team is looking to join a formal league structure in the coming year and with that in mind is looking for sponsors. Should you be interested to sponsor them in any shape or form, kindly call  073 369 6497 or 078 1181 786.