Khayelitsha Street Soccer and Netball Inspires Young People

The launch of the street soccer and netball project on 10 November 2012 at Ikhusi Primary School brightened the day for the youth of Khayelitsha Site B. Young people took great enjoyment from participating in the various arts, sports and cultural activities.

Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Dr Ivan Meyer handed over netball and soccer equipment to Khayelitsha Street Soccer and Netball Association. This equipment will assist the association in arranging football and netball games for the youth at risk.

Dr Meyer emphasised the importance of participation in sport to unite people and aid their personal growth. He said that sport can be more than a hobby; it could become a career for some at the professional level.

The ‘Sport, Arts and Cultural Programme against Crime’ of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) is part of the Provincial Gang Prevention and Intervention Strategy. The strategy was formulated to develop a collective and powerful response to gangsterism, crime and substance abuse.

One of the Department’s interventions in the programme is to provide equipment and healthy activities for the youth to help combat the above-mentioned social pathologies. DCAS also provides the members of the association with financial management skills, first aid training and soccer coaching courses.

The association in conjunction with a dedicated team from the DCAS Club Development Programme oversees the soccer and netball programme and arranges tournaments and competitions. Equipment will be replaced or repaired on an annual basis if necessary.

Amandla EduFootball, an organisation with similar aims, was also in attendance. It built the facility where the launch took place and will in future partner with DCAS in arranging activities for the youth.

The Khayelitsha Street Soccer and Netball launch was a highly successful event with 24 teams participating in the sporting and cultural activities.

DCAS and its partners believes that extra-curricular sporting and cultural activities are valuable interventions in the lives of youth at risk; interventions which contribute to a change for the better.