Tshego turns a defender, but nearly slips as he tries in vain to avoid the thorns covering the school field.
After a millisecond of pain, obvious from the grimace on his face, he fires a volley between the two bricks that serve as posts.
While there is no shortage of soccer talent in township schools, the reality is that they lack the facilities and funding for players to go anywhere beyond the school grounds.
Despite successes like the Mr Price High School Soccer League, sponsors for the development of the sport in townships are few and far between.
Shamiel Kolbee, founder of the Mr Price League and owner of Kolbee Bodyworks, said the SA Football Association (Safa) should not have to turn to former Model C schools to grow soccer talent, and should instead look to the townships.
“The passion is here, the talent is here, and all the players need is a chance. Last year alone we produced four players who have since joined PSL teams.
“If we can do it with virtually no sponsorships, what can be achieved if we had the backing of Safa?”
The Mr Price Soccer League is entering its 11th year and has now expanded to seven of the nine provinces, despite limited funds.
“I understand why Model C schools support rugby and cricket, but there is no reason the same can’t be done for soccer.
“We’re holding a knockout tournament in March, and schools like Camps Bay are very eager to join us, not just in the tournament but in the league itself. Unfortunately, we just don’t have the funds to expand to include more teams.”
Soccer, Kolbee pointed out, was “more than just a sport”.
“It can literally save a life. The Mr Price League has been a lifeline to many young children who have led troubled lives and may have dropped out of school if not for soccer. Not only has it kept them in schools, but also kept their grades up because they wouldn’t be allowed to play otherwise,” he said.
André Pretorius, principal of Heathfield Primary School, said the school’s team made the regional finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup last year – without even having a soccer field. “The boys may not have made the finals, but what they did was amazing considering they couldn’t train on their own field.
“As a principal, the only thing you want to see is your children succeed, and we’ve done our best to help them along as much as we can. But more is needed. We want to renovate our field, but we need money, money that just isn’t coming forward.”
Brad Bing, managing director of youth sports development company Sporting Chance, said the company planned a soccer camp for 6 000 children.
About 44 players already earmarked for greatness were however now unable to progress further without sponsorship.
“You have the potential but there are no means to fully develop it. There is continual talk about how we must look to the next generation, but there is rarely action being taken to make that a reality,” said Bing.
“When (Safa president) Danny Jordaan asked Model C schools to help, it was a sign of what a terrible state youth football is in, and what a disgrace it is.
“I understand where he’s coming from, but it shows Safa doesn’t have a full understanding of the problem, or how to fix it.”
Dominic Chimhavi, Safa spokesman, said they were developing more strategies to help develop soccer in poorer communities.
“We have been working hard, but there is always more we can do. We will go full throttle to recruit as much young talent, whether it is in the townships or Model C schools, as we can.
“We will do our best to ensure not a single talented player is left behind,” he said.– Weekend Argus