Wanderers Sports Medical Centre turns one
“I DARED to dream. I set myself long-term goals and I am living proof that dreams can eventually become a reality.”
That’s the mantra of the Proteas’ team physiotherapist, Craig Govender, 35.
From his Wanderers Sports Medical Centre, he provides a comprehensive range of treatment to athletes, especially those who cannot afford the privilege of first-class healthcare.
The centre at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, which spans 270m2 and has 11 medical practitioners attending to patients, turned one recently.
Now doing physio for the Bizhub Highveld Lions Cricket team and South African A cricket team, he has extensive experience with the Proteas.
Time in the upper echelons has given Govender, who used to live in Kharwastan, Chatsworth, a bird’s-eye view of the inequalities in South African sport.
“I was motivated to open the medical centre after seeing many aspiring cricketers unable to grow in the sport as they lacked medical care,” he said.
In its year of existence, the centre has attracted many sports people, both amateur and professional, from footballers, cricketers and golfers to Olympic athletes.
But Govender said he could only provide free medical services to the disadvantaged if he got the backing of a large corporation.
“I am focusing on building clients with a marketing campaign. This will build confidence in the centre and attract the right sponsor.”
He said the centre took three years to develop and was the first of its kind in Gauteng to combine medical practices and fitness.
Medical practitioners who work there include biokineticists, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, dieticians, homeopaths and sports physicians.
Govender got his Master’s degree in Physiotherapy from the University of the Cape Town and took up a full-time physiotherapy post with the Lions in 2010.
Of his long-standing passion for cricket, he said: “Seeing people grow and become Proteas is the best part of the job. With the provision of the best medical treatment, this can become a reality for many players.”
Govender said another of his missions was to prepare amateurs to be proactive in preventing injuries, and to allow them to get all their medical, fitness and life skills assistance under one roof, at an affordable rate.