Dobsonville Real Eagles Softball and Baseball club faces tough times

The Dobsonville Real Eagles Softball and Baseball club are on a campaign to garner sponsors for its team as it struggles to keep afloat.

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Herman Mathabatha, the chairperson and development coach told Urban New he began the team out of sheer passion.

“Back in the late 90s, early 2000s there were 16 teams of softball in Soweto however they all began to collapse,” he recalled.

“I started the Dobsonville team in 2008 because I saw a need to revive the sport since it’s all I have known.

“I started with young children in the community whom I’d train and groom every after school and on weekends until today.”

Over a decade later, the Dobsonville team is affiliated with Gauteng Softball Association under the Johannesburg West region where it is the only team in the league that hails from Soweto.

The move he said was to expose the boys to a professional standard needed to further them in the sport.

“We have already played five seasons since we joined the league and it has been a great tool for our boys and has instilled discipline as this is not a common sport especially in the township, but they have remained resilient from the start.”

The team which consists mostly of under 16 years, with a few of 18 year olds said it needed sponsorship to carry out its vision of one day being the only top Soweto team in the league.

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“My biggest challenge is that some of the players are from disadvantaged families, where some don’t have the appropriate kit and have financial constraints when we have to go to play.

“I am unemployed and have had to sometimes fund from my own pockets. We can’t let the talent of these boys go down because their parents couldn’t afford,” he said.

Mathabatha was formerly recognised by the Boikhanyo Primary School which awarded him for his role in shaping and the developing softball in Soweto, in particular the Dobsonville area.

He was recently selected to further share his skills as a coach for the baseball under 18 South West Gauteng (SWG) team. This is ahead of the provincial baseball tournament in April.

“While I am excited to share my knowledge as I have an extensive years in baseball which i look forward to working with the SWG team, one of my focuses in developing this sports further is ensuring that these boys who are apart of the Dobsonville eagles have what they need.

“We appeal for a sponsors who will help with transport as it is main thing to get to games, equipment and other logistics such as food.” he concluded.

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