Good news for children who love soccer
A soccer programme called Transition Football has started in the Mossel Bay area.
It is a non-profit programme to ensure the costs for players are minimised. The soccer players currently train at the Extension 23 fields on Louis Fourie Road.
The programme was started by Gregory Lowe, who hails from Australia. He married a South African woman and has been living in Mossel Bay for about 18 months.
Lowe comes from Newcastle, north of Sydney, and is an ex-Newcastle Jets youth coach and qualified Football Federation of Australia instructor.
He says: "Our aim is to compete in the local leagues in the region as well as to produce players to compete nationally and abroad."
"We also run foundation programmes starting from three years old right through to 17 years to promote an active lifestyle and for players to just enjoy the game of football.
"Our highlight to date has been achieving an excellent 2-2 result with the U13 Orlando Pirates in Johannesburg. Although the result never went our way, much was learned from the mighty Bucs.
"On the player promotion side of our club, Innocent Hakulandaba is currently undergoing a one-month trial in Italy with Real Vicenza who play in the Seria C."
Lowe is in search of sponsorship. Transition Football is registered as an NGO and public benefit organisation, which will allow corporates to gain a full tax refund on any donations.
He says there is always the misconception that NPOs come in and talk about the socioeconomic part of things. There are also other struggles he points out, such as children who want to play football, but there is no platform.
He points out that rugby, not soccer, is preferred at most schools in Mossel Bay, so children do not get to play soccer at school.
"We are looking for corporate funding to provide scholarships for children who are socio-economically challenged and to create jobs. Cricket and rugby development programmes have full-time coaches in South Africa, but not soccer programmes. We would like full-time coaches.
"We will also be playing games in the official Safa structures. We're not just a training programme," Lowe says.
The coaches in the programme are Lowe, Mandla Tsengwa, who is a justretired Premier League soccer player, and Thembalethu Panziso.
If you would like to support Transition Football, contact Lowe (076 134 3690).