Sorry state of the Protea soccer grounds
The Protea Sports Grounds in Northdale, once a sports hub for cricket, volleyball, tennis, squash and soccer, has deteriorated into a state of shambles.
A visit to the grounds by Public Eye this week revealed that the soccer grounds just below the cricket field have not been maintained for a considerable length of time, and now resembles a wasteland. The grass is overgrown and the steps leading down to the field is overtaken by weeds.
A source from a local sports team, who did not want to be named, said his teams use the Northdale Stadium to train and he recently went to see the state of the Protea grounds and was disgusted at how terrible the conditions were.
“The municipality needs to meet the community halfway. Many of these children who play soccer are underprivileged and this sport gives them a way out of their situation. It keeps them off the streets,” he said.
Recently, Public Eye reported on the state of local soccer grounds ahead of the Easter holidays, when communities host soccer tournaments.
Pietermaritzburg residents raised concerns about the appalling state of football grounds around the city. Most of them were inaccessible, while some had been vandalised and posed safety risks to teams and residents who use them. Some have been turned into “smoking dens” by local drug addicts or “hunting grounds” for prostitutes.
In October 2020, the Northern areas community rallied together to clean up the Protea Grounds to restore it to its former glory. Areas that were targeted included the cricket oval and pitch, the volleyball courts, the soccer fields, carpark and the squash courts.
Nicolas Ramdial, who takes his son for walks at the Protea Grounds, said that the place could use some work.
"I don't come here often, however, I think that the presence of security guards would make a huge difference. There are guys who smoke weed here and loiter around so having security around would be great," said Ramdial.
Sbongile Zungula along with her family go to the grounds for walks and just to enjoy the outdoors.
"I had no idea that the bush below the cricket field was once a soccer field. It's almost unrecognisable. This field needs to be cleared so that our youth can utilise it for sports," said Zungula.
Northdale resident Theo Pillay said he used to play soccer on the soccer field that is now overgrown.
"I recently started bringing my son here three times a week to teach him to play soccer as I once did. I started off by taking him to where I played soccer growing up. When I saw the state of the grounds, I was shocked and confused at how it [has deteriorated]," said Pillay.
DA ward 30 councillor Rachel Soobiah said the Protea Grounds has gone from bad to worse under the watch of the municipality. She said she has, on numerous occasions, requested the Msunduzi parks department to clean and maintain the unkept grounds. However, they have not done so, citing a lack of funds as the reason.
“I strongly support the call from community members to get together and see how best they can assist to help keep the grounds in good condition. People from our community, including the elderly and youth, use the grounds on a daily basis for various reasons,” said Soobiah.
Soobiah said help from the community is welcome. "I believe a meeting must be held with both the municipality and the community to map a way forward on how we can work together to see an improvement. I am available to arrange this meeting," she added.
Msunduzi Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said the municipality was aware that one of the sports fields at Protea grounds was out of use due to vandalism.
“There are two soccer fields within the Protea sports centre. One is well maintained and
another one has not been in use for some time due to vandalism. However, the grass
cutting and cleaning of that field is on the programme and will be attended to,” she said.
Mkhize added that the municipality has been focusing on maintaining other open parks and spaces used by citizens throughout the city as well.