Ex-Bafana legends at North End for clinics

THE “ICHOOSE2BACTIVE” campaign is set to promote healthy lifestyles and the use of sport as a tool for social change among youth in East London.

Sport for Social Change, Network together with former Bafana Bafana players, Mark Fish and Brendan Augustine are set to engage the youth in the city and challenge them to make informed choices about their lives.

The event will take place at the North End Stadium and starts at 2pm next Friday.

It commences again the next day from 10am. The two soccer legends are working with Sport for Social Change Network which is a non-government organisation that seeks to empower communities through sport all around the African continent and will be staging this event in East London for the very first time.

Chief executive and network director at Sport for Social Change Network, Allan Williams said they have partnered with sports stars so they could find common ground with young people. He said they would hold coaching clinics that would be followed by a tournament at the stadium.

“We are going to be working with schools around East London with 120 kids and Mark and Brendan will be doing physical activities like conditioning and life skills during the first day,” said Williams. “They will also hold discussion panels about their personal experiences in their highest level of playing football.

“Brendan will be talking about getting kicked out from the national team in 1998 when they were playing in France because of lack of good behaviour.”

Williams said they were using football as a medium to engage young people on various issues that affect them.

“On Friday next week we are going to have a draw and then on Saturday we’ll have the actual tournament.

“So on Wednesday we came down to meet with the schools that are involved in the project.

“Because when you doing a project like this you can’t do it over the phone that’s why we came down to East London. And we were sorting out other logistics as well.”

William said under the campaign #ICHOOSE2BACTIVE they also partnered with their national partner, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (SRSA).

“There has been an increase in non-communicable diseases like diabetes as a result of obesity and cardiac disease.

“Recent studies have shown a direct link between physical inactivity and these health-related issues “If they are not addressed now they will have negative consequences on us as a nation,” Williams added.