Thanks to authors Sarah and Helen for giving these wonderful books to Sporting Chance to distribute to all the Calypso children. The books are a unique and important way to promote literacy amongst the community children and what better way to do that than matching the children’s love for sport with reading and learning!

With schools out and summer here, cricket is topping the recreational agenda for over 3000 children from different communities, who will take part in the 21st annual Sporting Chance Calypso Cricket Festival, to be held at local Cape Town beaches. This year, there’s even more cause for celebration, as the festival that gives a summer splash to cricket, comes of age,

Now in its 21st year, the festival runs every day from Monday 12 until Friday 16 December on Sunrise beach near Muizenberg (home of Calypso), Main beach – The Strand and on Long beach in Kommetjie.

Borne from a desire to introduce large numbers of kids to cricket and bring together the various communities and cultures of South Africa, The Sporting Chance Calypso Cricket Festival was started by Brad Bing of youth sports development agency Sporting Chance in 1990. The festival, in association with Virgin Active, I&J and Supersport Let’s Play, is an annual highlight for thousands of children who are bussed in to the beach, from various communities in the Western Cape including amongst others Langa, Manenberg and Ocean View, to pit their cricketing skills against one another.

Aside from a trip to the beach for many children who would otherwise not have this kind of opportunity, the festival highlights Sporting Chance’s determination to encourage sport as a fixture in all children’s lives, irrespective of race, gender or social class and to create an uplifting environment to bring together various communities.

“It is a fantastic achievement that Calypso Cricket is turning 21,” says Bing. “It means that we have exposed an entire generation of youngsters to the sport of cricket and the benefits of teamwork, as well as giving them a reward at the end of the academic year.  Every year we introduce new groups of children to the programme and their participation and excitement is gratifying as Calypso Cricket continues to be a highlight in their lives.”

Over the past 21 years the festival has also been recognised as a vehicle for identifying young sporting talent, for fostering a love of cricket and sport in general and as an opportunity to provide a large number of children with a fun filled holiday activity.

Thami Tsolekile, former Protea’s wicketkeeper and current Lions’ player was one of the first participants of the Calypso Cricket festival as well as Eagle’s player Malusi ‘Lolly’ Siboto.  Since then, the Calypso Cricket Festival has continued to identify natural talent and has facilitated the opportunity for 43 learners to go onto play provincial cricket at school level.

The Festival is a unique and fun adaptation of the conventional game. Employing most of the rules of cricket, Calypso Cricket is played on the beach with two teams of ten players each. This spirited game originated in the West Indies and is played between different villages where people gather in their hundreds for the event.

“Calypso Cricket is a unique approach to cricket coaching and one that has proven to be an exciting way of introducing young children, particularly from our emerging communities, to the game, whilst providing them with a platform to excel,” adds Bing.

“It’s about hitting the ball hard – fielding in ankle deep water and bowling with vigour – while dodging waves and making new friends in the process.”

Participation in the programme is from the age of eight to 15, offering learners the opportunity to engage in a healthy and fun-filled lifestyle throughout those critical, formative years. The communities and clubs are therefore an integral part of the programme.

Robyn Moore, Club V manager of Virgin Active, adds: “Calypso Cricket provides children with a healthy and positive alternative to a sedentary and disruptive lifestyle. Virgin Active is proud to be associated with the Calypso Cricket project that has a tremendous track record in assisting in improving the lives of thousands of South Africa’s children.

“The Calypso Cricket Festival is one of the many vehicles Sporting Chance employs throughout the year to give all children an equal opportunity to participate in team sports that teach essential skills that can be applied throughout their lives,” said Ron Fasol, CEO of I&J. “Sport shows us the beauty of friendship, camaraderie and team spirit and it helps us to deal with the hardships of failure, frustration and disappointment.”

The 21st annual Calypso Cricket Festival takes place on the following dates:

This donation will go towards the 21st annual Calypso Cricket project which will take place from Monday 12th to Friday 16th December 2011. 21 years ago Calypso Cricket started in order to bring together the respective and diverse communities of South Africa, this year the project involves 3000 participants from the Cape Town communities.

Our sincere gratitude to all at I&J who made this possible and we look forward to demonstrating firsthand the difference this donation makes especially at this festive time of year.

The Sporting Chance Calypso Cricket Festival, in association with Virgin Active, I&J and Supersport Let”s Play was started by Brad Bing of youth sports development agency Sporting Chance in 1990, and is an annual highlight for thousands of children who are bussed in from their communities to the beach to pit their cricketing skills against one another.

Aside from a trip to the beach for many children who would otherwise not have this kind of opportunity, the festival highlights Bing”s determination to encourage sport as a fixture in all children”s lives irrespective of race, gender or social class and to create an uplifting environment to bring various communities together.

Over the past 20 years the festival has also been recognised as a vehicle for identifying young sporting talent, for fostering a love of cricket and sport in general, and as an opportunity to provide a large number of children with a fun-filled holiday activity.

Thami Tsolekile, former Proteas wicketkeeper and current Lions” player was one of the first participants of the Calypso Cricket festival. Since then, the Calypso Cricket Festival has continued to identify natural talent and has facilitated the opportunity for 43 learners to go onto play provincial cricket at school level.

The Festival is a unique and fun adaptation of the conventional game. Employing most of the rules of cricket, Calypso Cricket is played on the beach with two teams of ten players each. This spirited game originated in the West Indies where it is played between different villages that gather in their hundreds for the event.

“Calypso Cricket is a unique approach to cricket coaching and one that has proven to be an exciting way of introducing young children, particularly from our emerging communities, to the game whilst providing them with a fun-filled holiday activity,” adds Bing. “It”s about hitting the ball hard – fielding in ankle-deep water and bowling with vigour – while dodging waves and making new friends in the process. ”

Participation in the programme is from the age of eight to 15, offering learners the opportunity to engage in a healthy and fun-filled lifestyle throughout those critical, formative years. The communities and clubs are therefore an integral part of the programme.

According Kim Webster CSR Manager for Virgin Active, Getting kids engaged in sports is a key way to get them excited about being active. “They have fun while gaining access to great coaching skills, which develop them as cricketers and ultimately encourages them to develop active lifestyles,” says Webster.

“We are over the moon to be celebrating 20 years of Calypso Cricket,” says Bing. “Every year we introduce new children to the programme and their participation and excitement is gratifying as Calypso Cricket continues to be a highlight in their lives. ”

Ron Fasol, CEO of I&J, adds. “Calypso Cricket provides children with a healthy and positive alternative to a sedentary and disruptive lifestyle. I&J is proud to be associated with the Calypso Cricket project that has a tremendous track record in assisting to improve the lives of thousands of South Africa”s children.

“The Calypso Cricket Festival is one of the many vehicles Sporting Chance employs throughout the year to give all children an equal opportunity to participate in team sports that teach essential skills that can be applied throughout their lives.

“Sport shows us the beauty of friendship, camaraderie and team spirit and it helps us to deal with the hardships of failure, frustration and disappointment and it is for these reasons that I&J support this project,” concludes Fasol.

The Calypso Cricket Festival takes place on the following dates :

* Monday 13 December: Main beach, Strand (children from Khayelitsha, Nomzano, Lwandle)

* Tuesday 14 December: Sunrise beach, Muizenberg (Langa, Elsies River)

* Wednesday 15 December: Sunrise beach, Muizenberg (Gugulethu, Mitchell”s Plain, Macassar)

* Thursday 16 December: Long beach, Kommetjie (Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Ocean View)

* Friday 17 December: Sunrise beach, Muizenberg (Nyanga and Kwezi)

For more information on the matches contact Natalie Pollock on 021 683 7299 or http://www.sportingchance.co.za

The Festival, started by Brad Bing of youth sports development agency Sporting Chance in 1990, is an annual highlight for thousands of children aged between nine and fifteen years who are bussed in from their communities to the beach to pit their cricketing skills against one another.

The venues….

Addington Beach, Durban – 24 & 25 November
Nahoon Beach, East London – 27 & 28 November
Kings Beach, Port Elizabeth – 1 December
Robberg Beach, Plettenberg Bay – 2 December
San Parks Beach, Wilderness – 3 December\
Santos Beach, Mossel Bay – 4 December
Grotto Beach, Hermanus – 5 December
Main Beach, Strand – 8 December
Long Beach, Kommetjie – 9 December
Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg – 10, 11 & 12 December

This year the ‘Find a Calypso Fast Bowler’ drive aims to uncover new bowling talent – a Makhaya Ntini or Dale Steyn – amongst the 8,000 participants. Over the years the festival has been recognised as a vehicle for identifying young sporting talent, for fostering a love of cricket and sport in general and as an opportunity to provide a large number of children with a fun filled holiday activity.

Bing, who is passionate about the positive benefits that sport can bring to children’s lives, says the Pick n Pay Calypso Beach Cricket Festival was borne from a desire to introduce large numbers of kids to cricket and to bring the various communities and cultures of South Africa together. Traditionally played in the cricket-crazy West Indies, Calypso Cricket is a fun adaptation of the conventional game, where two teams of ten players engage in play on a sand pitch.

Aside from a trip to the beach for many children who would otherwise not have this kind of opportunity, the Festival highlights Bing’s determination to encourage sport as a fixture in children’s lives. “All boys and girls should ideally be exposed to sport and a healthy lifestyle,” says Bing.  “Research has shown you develop your habits by the age of 12. If you’re not playing sport or leading an active and healthy lifestyle by then, the chances are that sport and physical activity will not feature in your adult lifestyle”.

As the Calypso Beach Cricket Festival has gained momentum over the years, it has received recognition from a significant number of corporate and sports stakeholders including Cricket South Africa, provincial cricket administration bodies and a number of cricket celebrities. Inherent to the success of this large scale sports outreach programme is the support of Pick n Pay, a company well known for its encouragement of community upliftment through positive and pro active measures.  Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the supermarket giant, thousands of children are given an opportunity to be just that – children, enjoying a carefree, fun-filled festival on the beach.

“It is important to provide our country’s youth with opportunities that will expose them to life skills and the value of playing sport,” said Jonathan Ackerman of Pick n Pay.  “This will hopefully open up new possibilities and have a positive impact on the quality of their lives. We’ve supported Calypso cricket for many years and are committed to seeing it grow from strength to strength.”

Kim Webster CSR Manager for Virgin Active added: “We are excited about the opportunities that this festival provides for children.  They have fun, make friends and more importantly, gain access to great coaching skills to develop them as cricketers.  Virgin Active is proud to be associated with a development initiative which creates a sustainable impact on the lives of our nation’s children.” 

The Pick n Pay Calypso Beach Cricket Festival’s final match will be held on Friday 12 December at Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg – the site of the first ever Calypso Beach Cricket Festival 18 years ago.

The public is encouraged to come and support the children.  For further details log onto www.sportingchance.co.za or call Natalie Le Brun at Sporting Chance on 021 683 7299

The annual cricket ‘road show’ kicks off on Monday 24 November on Addington Beach in Durban and will travel down the coast through nine regions involving 14 festivals and finally ending in Cape Town on Friday 12 December.  

An exciting new addition to this year’s festival is the ‘Find a Calypso Fast Bowler’ drive which is set to uncover new bowling talent amongst the expected 8000 nine to fifteen year old participants. The festival, started by Brad Bing of youth sports development agency Sporting Chance in 1990, is an annual highlight for the thousands of children who participate every year.  

Children are bussed in from their communities to their local festival site where they pit their skills against fellow cricket enthusiasts. The “Find a Calypso Fast Bowler” drive will be undertaken at each festival with the aim of seeking out a promising new Makhaya Ntini or Dale Steyn.  Over the years the festival has been recognised as a vehicle for identifying local talent, for fostering a love of cricket and sport in general and as an opportunity to provide a large number of children with a fun filled holiday activity.  

Bing, who is passionate about the positive benefits that sport can bring to children’s lives, says the Pick n Pay Calypso Cricket Festival was borne from a desire to introduce large numbers of kids to cricket and to bring the various communities and cultures of South Africa together. Traditionally played in the cricket-crazy West Indies, Calypso Cricket is a fun adaptation of the conventional game, where two teams of ten players engage in play on a sand pitch. Since its early introduction in South Africa, the game has garnered much enthusiasm from children of all ages and the thousands of would-be Kallis’, Ntinis, Smiths, Pollocks and Gibbs’, who descend upon the beaches at the end-of-year holidays, are testament to this.  

Aside from a trip to the beach for many children who would otherwise not have this kind of opportunity, the festival highlights Bing’s determination to encourage sport as a fixture in children’s lives. “All boys and girls should ideally be exposed to sport and a healthy lifestyle,” says Bing.  “Research has shown you develop your habits by the age of 12yrs. If you’re not playing sport or leading an active and healthy lifestyle by then, the chances are that sport and physical activity will not feature in your adult lifestyle”.  

Kim Webster CSR Manager for Virgin Active added: “Virgin Active is really excited about the multi-faceted opportunity that this festival provides to children.  They have fun, they make friends and more importantly, they gain access to great coaching skills to develop them as cricketers.  Virgin Active is proud to be associated with a vision of development and sustainable impact on the lives our nation’s children.”