Football in rural areas is generally not structured. That is, there is no league, competitions or proper administration of the sport. As a result the passion for the sport is reduced to a mere hobby, something that young boys do just so they don’t get bored. Sadly, a lot of talent gets lost. Some never discovered.
SEAM Sports Academy and Training, under the guidance of Greg Snalam, has embarked on an initiative called “Sports 4 Poverty” aimed at teaching kids the fundamentals of football while keeping them active and engaged. This includes providing coaching clinics, teaching football basics and providing life skills in rural communities.
Corporate South Africa has shown little interest in supporting initiatives at that level but Hyundai South Africa — boosted by their involvement in the Fifa Confederations and 2010 World Cup — has come out to back Sports 4 Poverty.
There is an urgent need to encourage corporate social investment in grassroots football. To achieve this, business needs to be more conscious of social development. Yes, the business of business is business, but, without a progressing majority, there is no future market and therefore no business.
The corporate sector would view partnerships in grassroots projects as lucrative if the media fraternity was prepared to provide reasonable coverage. How can one explain the fact that a tournament of the magnitude of the “Godfrey Moloi Games” in Soweto gets no live coverage?
Certainly, if a rapidly growing market like Soweto is still overlooked there was never any hope for the now defunct “Norman ‘Pangaman’ Sekgapane Soccer tournament”, which was hosted every year in the village of Magokgwane in Mafikeng.
Whichever way one looks at it, there is an opportunity and a need waiting to be addressed in rural South Africa. The state president, Jacob Zuma, emphasised during his State of the Nation Address that rural development should be one of our key objectives in the next five years.
Is corporate South Africa ready to lead the revolution in rural social development?
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