Amanzimtoti Youth Rugby Club introduces new committee

AMANZIMTOTI Youth Rugby club are gearing up for the upcoming season and have elected a new committee for the year to continue ushering the club to new heights.

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Taking up the mantle of chairman is Dirk Smit, who has expressed confidence that he can establish a thriving environment that propels the club towards success both on and off the field. He added, “Children need to grow and while academics can help you, sport is the way forward. We want to motivate our youth to grow and to become leaders, and support them as they learn team sport, make new friends and be a part of the community. I want to make the club grow to its full potential and that is what the team and I are going to do this year.”

Director of coaches, Ruan Koekemoer, emphasised the importance of structure. He explained that coaches are there to support the children and to help them perform to the best of their abilities. “From minis to seniors, we’d like to grow the kids, bond with them, have fun with them. For the minis, it’s about having fun – families get together,” he said.

Bringing a healthy dose of passion to the table is Frikkie Wondergem, director of minis, who stated that it all starts at a grassroots level – imbuing passion into children under five and six.

“We haven’t even tapped into the potential of what our country can offer. For me, from a young age, I believe you need to understand the basics about rugby. If we can get that right, then our children move forward into achieving greater things. It’s not a sport that anybody can play, but it’s a sport that you need to have a passion and love for,” said Wondergem.

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Director of colts, Daniel da Camara, said that the colts are the foundation of the seniors, but it all begins from the under fives. He added, “When they grow up, we have proper teams when they get to a senior level. We have to have discipline from a very young age. The club is family-friendly and rugby is the type of sport that brings families together.”

Administrator, Shané Koekemoer, said, “Without motivation, there are no sacrifices, without sacrifice there is no discipline and without discipline there is no success.”

Adrie Lamprecht, the club’s treasurer, offered her insight, “We want to ensure long-term financial health by exploring new revenue streams, securing sponsorship and managing our resources wisely. We always strive as a club for transparency and to build connections with all of our sponsors. I honestly think we’ve got one of the best sport clubs in KwaZulu-Natal, so we just want to make it grow.”

Registration and practice will commence on February 12 from 18:00 to 19:30. The registration form will be shared on the groups. Practices will take place on Wednesdays and in the case of unpleasant weather, will be moved to Friday. Under-5s training will commence on March 12. For enquiries, contact Shané Koekemoer on 074 840 2381 or Dirk Smit on 082 868 2871.

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