Corporates hold the key
SPONSORSHIPS: PRIVATE SECTOR PLAYS MASSIVE ROLE IN GROWING SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA
Empowering coaches with right qualifications will ensure greater development.
Afew years back, youth football had a little crisis. Okay, I am being over-dramatic, but the wheels had come off and there were a lot of fingers pointed at Safa’s ability to lead and govern at developmental level.
The problem facing youth football today is that there is no success framework for school and club level sport. Schools face the problem of uneducated coaches that are fresh out of matric and club structures seem to be gun-slinging and do their own thing.
Funds are the biggest problems facing both structures and the irony of both levels is that most of the coaches are doing what they are doing for little or no money. As most coaches at these levels will contest, money or the lack of it is not what drives them to training each day, but rather a passion for the sport and a sense of giving back.
The answer to developing football in South Africa is to simply educate the passionate masses. First and foremost, improve the quality of the education so that it is current and up-to-date.
Safa and the PSL need to run their organisations like a corporate company.
Top positions require you to have qualifications. The more qualified you are the easier it will be to climb the top ranks. You will never get an unqualified accountant looking after the books so how do you allow senior coaches not to have the right certifications? This has been the case for many years and little do they know that it has a trickle down effect that top positions can be earned not by the level of the coaches, but rather by who you know.
Do something audacious like say to schools that coaches are not allowed to coach a team unless they have a minimum qualification. As they train the older kids, their qualification should increase so by the time they teach high school teams they have enough qualifications to either go full time into coaching or at least make a living out of it. Give schools a tax rebate for empowering coaches so it does not place financial burdens on their current tight budgets.
The more you educate, the better the level of development which occurs at youth level. Instead of dumping 2 000 balls in a local community, how about spending the money and educate local sports leaders? This will empower sports leaders to succeed. Everyone is looking for the next best Cristiano Ronaldo.
Schools, clubs and professional entities should be looking for the next best line of coaches. Great coaches are just as good as great players.
I really do believe that things are getting better and there is development. An example of this is the private sector using their influence to create change. Engen have been running a national knockout challenge for Under-17 and now Under-18 football players. The aim of the tournament is to provide a stage to showcase some of the best talent South Africa has to offer. Scouts attend these tournaments in the hope of signing up the next football star.
If I had to unpack this event for you: thousands of athletes compete against their provinces’ best and the winners from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Durban and Johannesburg get to compete at an elite event called the Champ of Champs.
This is the power private sector sponsorship has to grow sport in South Africa. Engen and their PR agents, Openfield, have ingeniously created an environment for aspiring talent to thrive with excellence.
Imagine if more companies got involved with the same great vision for change like Engen.