The championship team from Khayelitsha was transported to Cape Town stadium on a beautifully warm Sunday afternoon and watched the Urban Warriors take on Bloemfontein Celtic in a PSL match. The matched produced 2 goals with George Maluleka (50th minute) and Matthew Booth (60th minute) sealing the victory for the home side.
It was an exciting outing for the Khayelitsha youngsters and a fitting way to celebrate their victory in the Western Cape KIA Street Soccer finals played earlier this year.

http://www.sportindustry.co.za/awards/category/shortlist/?Id=33

Well done and Thank you to all involved in the project from all over South Africa.
We will be holding thumbs until the announcement in Feb 2012.

The Grassy Park community came out in their numbers and hosted the finals in supreme style. The Metro Police were sideline to ensure everyone was well looked after, while the large group of media buzzed around catching all of the action.

Before proceedings, special honour was paid to two significant women who recently passed away. Aunty Shirley from Manenberg was a long serving member of the Sporting Chance team, and Mrs Abrahams who lived in the street which plays host to KIA Street Soccer in Grassy Park. They will long be missed and we thank them for their contribution to Sporting Chance and to the children of their community.

The twenty teams were divided into four pools of five, the format was demanding with only the top team in each pool progressing to the semi finals. The competitive spirit was evident from the first kick off and the each region was well represented by their boys and girls.

The matches were tightly contested throughout the afternoon with the players putting on a wonderful spectacle of this specially adapted version of the beautiful game. An esteemed line up of special guests made time in their busy schedules to offer their support, including MEC for Sport and Cultural Affairs in the Western Cape, Dr Ivan Meyer; Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, Councillor Tandeka Gqada; SA cricket icon Herschelle Gibbs and former Bafana Bafana star, Thabo Mngomeni.

After tough round robin matches it was an all ‘township’ affair in the semi finals as Langa, Nyanga and both teams from Khayelitsha finished top of their respective pools. In hard fought semis with hundreds of supporters lining the pavements it was ‘team South Africa’ from Khayelitsha and ‘team Zimasa’ from Langa that emerged victorious and moved onto the final.

The stage was set… the lines were redrawn on the tar pitch, a new ball was supplied and the teams lined up opposite each other to shake hands.It was end-to-end action for the twenty minutes and after a skilled battle it was Khayelitsha that won the dual claiming with it the 2011 Western Cape KIA Street Soccer trophy.

A fitting ceremony concluded the day with thank yous to the sponsors, and prizes from AJAX Cape Town and Sporting Chance been awarded to the winners. No participant however went home empty handed, as each player was delighted to receive a food pack and Let’s Play soccer ball.

The Western Cape finals brought to a close the 2011 KIA Street Soccer programme which has seen Sporting Chance, with the support of title sponsor KIA Motors and associate sponsors Foodzone, Dawn Wing and media partners Supersport Let’s Play and Good Hope fm roll out a neighbourhood street soccer programme in streets in and around Durban, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as part of FIFA’s Ticket Fund legacy. The KIA Street Soccer League was created as one of the tiers of the Ticket Fund initiative as a means of adding sustainability to the programme which has involved 4 500 boys and girls under the age of 13 and provided contractual employment for 800 coaches.

The Sporting Chance team look forward to evaluating the 2011 programme and planning the road ahead with sponsors for KIA Street Soccer in the future. Keep watching this space!

Each of the five KIA Street Soccer regions were represented by their top two teams. Teams were divided into two pools with a series of round robin matches. Passionate soccer was watched by crowds of supporters who lined New Brighton’s Mbenge Street. Pleased to have the finals on home tar, the New Brighton community came out in full force to encourage their representatives.

Both pools were tightly contested from the start and as the ball rebounded off the pavement, walls and barbed wire fences some outstanding skills were on display. At the conclusion of the pool matches one team from four of the communities, namely Motherwell, New Brighton, Uitenhage and Veeplaas qualified for the semi finals.

The semi finals provided end-to-end action and the players extreme determination could only be admired. After full time in both semis the scores were tied, and so the adjacent street pitches were prepared for penalty shoot outs.

The epitome of nail biting… as three strikers and one keeper from each team were selected to step up to the mark. The pin point accuracy of the penalty kicks and the agility of the goalkeepers was phenomenal and both shoot outs had to go to sudden death to decide the winners.

In the end, it was the teams from Motherwell and Uitenhage that handled the pressure and snatched victory.  This laid a platform for an invigorating final in which Uitenhage showed the superior class despite Motherwell’s tenacity to score three unanswered goals.

Uitenhage were crowned victors, taking the inaugural Eastern Cape KIA Street Soccer Trophy home to their community just outside Port Elizabeth.

After three months and three phases – the Health Educational road show, coaches training and KIA Street Soccer league, the  provincial final was a fitting climax to wrap up a successful launch of the programme into the Eastern Cape.

Special thanks to title sponsors KIA Motors, associate sponsors Food Zone, logistical partner Dawn Wing, media partner SuperSport Let’s Play and Football partner Bay United for their support in the Eastern Cape.

The Cape Town provincial final will take place in Grassy Park next month after it has been postponed this week due to inclement weather.

For more information contact Natalie Pollock at Sporting Chance on 021 683 7299, log onto www.sportingchance.co.za, or join facebook.com/sportingchance for regular updates.

Mamelodi won the Gauteng Provincial Final of the KIA Street Soccer programme, which took place on Moloto Street in Dobsonville, Soweto on Youth Day (16th June). Mamelodi beat fellow Tshwane community Atteridgeville in the closely contested final to secure the coveted KIA Street Soccer Trophy.  Earlier in the week (14th June) players from Umlazi scooped poll position in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial final, which took place on the streets of KwaMashu. 

Since the beginning of the tournament, which kicked off mid April, Youth sports development agency Sporting Chance, with the support of title sponsor KIA Motors and associate sponsors Foodzone, Dawn Wing and Supersport Let’s Play, has rolled out the neighbourhood street soccer programme in streets in and around Durban, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as part of FIFA’s Ticket Fund legacy. The KIA Street Soccer League was created as one of the tiers of the Ticket Fund initiative as a means of adding sustainability to the programme and 4 500 boys and girls under the age of 13 of that have taken to the streets throughout South

 Africa in recent weeks to play the ‘beautiful game’.

According to Brad Bing of Sporting Chance, who conceptualised and co-ordinates the programme, being healthy and keeping active are additional critical life skills taught by the programme, and for the first phase, a Health Education Road Show visited all the participating communities leading up to the second phase – the start of the league.

In addition to activities designed to show and share the importance of physical activity, nutrition, personal hygiene and TB awareness, the sessions also covered key issues of sports etiquette, conflict resolution, and environmental awareness, encouraging learners to take pride in their environment and recycle.

Umlazi take the Kwa Zulu Natal title for 2nd year!

The project has also created contractual employment for 800 coaches.

“Street Soccer not only provides a platform for children to display their football skills and sporting prowess, but also gives an opportunity to build self-esteem while at the same time learning about the importance of good health,” said Bing.

Mamelodi the 2011 Gauteng champions!

Two more provincial finals take place this week in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth (21 June) and in Grassy Park in Cape Town (24 June).

For more information contact Natalie Pollock at Sporting Chance on 021 683 7299, log onto www.sportingchance.co.za, or join facebook.com/sportingchance for regular updates.

The regional champions will be crowned and they together with the runners up will represent their communities in the KIA Street Soccer provincial festival finales taking place in the next few weeks.

The details for the KIA Street Soccer regional finals are as follows:

On 15 April, Sporting Chance, in association with title sponsors KIA Motors and associates Food zone, Dawn Wing and Supersport Let’s Play, will roll out the national neighbourhood street soccer programme that will reach 4500 boys and girls under the age of 13, empowering them to grab onto a brighter future through the valuable lessons of sport.

Designed and co-ordinated by youth sports development agency Sporting Chance, the Kia Street Soccer programme, supported by FIFA and SAFA, brings soccer directly to the kids who need it most and where they need it most.  The communities in the 30 regions are rife with poverty and crime, lacking in adequate facilities or stimulating after-school and weekend activities.

“The street is the perfect venue for kids to come together and do something positive and healthy,” says Brad Bing, Managing Director of Sporting Chance.  “Many of them have no place to go where they can socialize in a safe and healthy environment.  Why not turn the streets we have for too long perceived as being dangerous, into a stage where life lessons can be taught, friendships forged and communities entertained?”

Kia Street Soccer will hit neighbourhood streets with round robin matches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.  Twenty teams of six players each are entered into each regional league.  Round robin matches will be played for eight weeks, with weekly sessions of four matches, followed by a week of regional finals and ultimately, the Provincial Festival Finale, which takes place towards the end of June.

Keeping healthy is another critical life skill taught by the programme. For the first phase of the programme a Health Education Road Show visited all the participating communities leading up to the second phase – the start of the  league. In addition to activities designed to show and share the importance of physical activity, nutrition, personal hygiene and TB awareness, the sessions also covered key issues of sports etiquette, conflict resolution, and environmental awareness, encouraging learners to take pride in their environment and recycle, not litter.

It isn’t only the kids who will benefit from this programme, says Bing.  Local coaches and coordinators will be selected from each community and will receive training in coaching and crucial life skills. 

“The 2010 Soccer World Cup must be more than a pleasant memory for South Africans,” said Kia Motors South Africa CEO Ray Levin.  “It must leave a lasting legacy of promise, showing all South Africans that dreams can come true, even for the poorest.  This is the time to grab the excitement generated by Bafana Bafana and carry it through to grass roots level.”

Programme organiser Bing concurs. “Sport is such a powerful catalyst in this country.  It truly has the power to transform lives.  Now is the time to capitalise on 2010’s soccer madness.”

And WOW, so far haven’t we proved the cynics wrong?

As time flew bye and those countdown clocks ticked on, our inspirational Local Organising Committee and FIFA started to tick all their necessary boxes. In the past few weeks it has

The fly over

dawned on the majority of South Africa that the long awaited and much talked about 2010 FIFA World Cup is actually here!

Our rainbow nation kicked into another gear, as the true spirit of ‘ubuntu’ and patriotism set in and we all embraced the opportunity to showcase our beautiful country on the largest

stage.

Ingenious entrepreneurs sprung up with any idea that displayed the SA flag… Car mirror covers, window flags, car magnets, makaraba’s and vuvuzela’s are at every street corner waiting to be owned and paraded proudly. Bafana Bafana merchandise has never been so popular and prices have soared as everyone wants to be a part of the yellow and green phenomenon. ‘Football Fridays’ started it all, but would we believe it would grow to this extent and mobilize our nation?

The Sporting Chancers

During our Sporting Chance projects we always talk about the ‘sense of belonging’ and how important it is to the children in our communities. Now we too are striving for that sense of belonging along over 49 million other South African’s. We are proud to be South African and let’s enjoy this magnificent global event and all that’s it’s bringing to our country!

The Sporting Chance 2010 FIFA World Cup adventure began on Friday 11^th June 2010. The world held its breath as the first ever FIFA World Cup was to be kicked off on African soil and the Sporting Chance team can very proudly say “we were there”!

It’s been a busy and harrowing last few months, but we can definitely say the hard work has paid off. Amongst the 84 000 fans that packed the giant Calabash of Soccer City we were there  clad in our Bafana Bafana gear and blowing our vuvuzela’s. What a privilege to be there to witness one of South Africa’s proudest moments. Just one scan around the massive stadium made you realize just how much the 2010 FIFA World Cup has united our rainbow nation. The stadium was yellow with patches of green and the odd section of Mexicans proudly waving their flags and sombreros’. Despite being in high spirits those Mexicans could only feel overwhelmed by the force of not only once country, but the whole African continent stacked against them.

The opening ceremony was short, but had a distinctive African flavour. We were perhaps expecting a bit more extreme choreography and fireworks, but if you saw the excitement of the children as they had finished their routine, you’ll know it achieved its objectives.

Opening ceremony

The wait in between the opening and the match was agonizing, but it gave us all an opportunity to try and take it all in – look around us and see the joy, excitement and anticipation in everybody’s eyes. Most of us were just coming to terms with having the privilege of being there as we attempted to appreciate this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.

Then ‘the boys’ as their Bafnana Bafana translation states came out for their warm up and you could no longer try and think, just blow on your vuvuzela and scream hysterically.

Mark & Brad

While the teams retreated to their change rooms for final preparations we stacked up on drinks and refreshments in anticipation for not wanting to leave our seats when the action began.

The teams were lead out onto the field with the player mascots alongside them. For everyone who was walking onto to that hallowed turf it was the ‘field of dreams’, the Promised Land they had worked so hard to get to. It is the pinnacle of the football world – the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, was greeted by vuvuzela chants for appreciation for the man who had so much belief in the African continent and who too much have felt his dream unfolding in front of him. Our controversial president Jacob Zuma soon joined him and despite the escapades of the past months we would pay tribute to the man who was leading our very proud country. The tragedy in the Mandela family kept the global icon away which was very unfortunate.

The Mexican anthem was sung and the groups of Mexicans bellowed out as loud as possible while the vuvuzelas where hushed in respect for our opposition.

‘Ke Nako’, It was time, with the biggest lumps in our throats we put our arms around each other and sang our hearts out as Nkosi Sikelele iAfrica echoed around our magnificent land.

Before we could wipe the odd sentimental tear from our eyes the two teams had taken the places on the immaculate manicured field and the long awaited 2010 FIFA World Cup was officially kicked off.

Blow that vuvuzela

To avoid a ball by ball commentary, I will just say that every near goal attempt, crunching tackle or superior piece of skill was applauded as the whole stadium was enticed. The constant tone of the vuvuzela’s went up and down, but not for one moment did the supportive sound subside.

A tough first half for Bafana with the Mexicans dominating while  having a goal disallowed in the 40^th minute. The second half was a different story and perhaps the nerves had dissolved and the encouragement of the crowd had put extra wind into Bafana’s masterful feet.

In the 55^th minute the Southern tip of Africa must have shuddered as the force of a nation leapt to their feet, cheered, hugged, high fived and blew their vuvuzelas as classy Bafana no.

8 Siphiwe Tshabalala expertly took his chance and finished off piercing passing with a blasting shot past the Mexican goalie. As back of the Mexican net moved, so did the hearts and hopes of every South African.

‘Our boys’ had become men and despite the Mexicans equalizing in the 79^th minute, we are all paying homage to our national soccer team and their coaching staff for the miracles they

Match time

have made us believe in.

We back you Bafana!

Thank you to all who have allowed us to get here!

How far we have come

To the next adventure….

With fourteen teams competing in the days play, it came down to the final which showed superior soccer skills seeing ‘Nomli’ from Nyanga beat ‘Sonwabo’ from Gugulethu, 5-0 in an energy sapping match. The close contests all afternoon ensured that the crowds who lined the pavement were kept in anticipation as they cheered on their respective teams. When the final whistle blew there were high fives and handshakes all around before the winning team were handed individual trophies and the coveted Kia Street Soccer floating trophy from local PSL team Ajax Cape Town.

Every child having completed four months of health educational training together with the soccer programme has now qualified to receive a ticket to go watch a 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM match. All Kia Street Soccer participants will be transported to Cape Town Stadium and given a food pack as they watch their ‘2010 dreams come true.’

Sponsor Kia Motors, in association with Foodzone, Let’s Play, Laser Logistics and Sporting Chance were pleased with the outcome in the round-robin stages and playoffs which drew hundreds of locals from the community to the ‘street side’ in support of their young soccer stars.

Managing Director of Sporting Chance, Brad Bing and his team, who are the brains trust behind the project, have been thrilled by the skills all teams have shown over the past two months.

“This project has been very special for us in the year that see’s South Africa host the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM and a special word of thanks must to go our sponsors, associates and partners. Kia Motors, Foodzone, The Dischem Foundation, Laser Logistics and Ajax Cape Town have really made this project a memorable one in the Western Cape and I am convinced that every child will remember this project for a long time,” said Bing.

“I’m glad the project can continue to see not only every child given the opportunity to witness history in being able to watch a 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM match, but also those children who showcased talent and impressed our PSL partners have been incorporated into their academy structures to hopefully develop into future professional players” commented Bing.

Local PSL team Ajax Cape Town have been visiting the various regions over the past two months and as part of their association in the Kia Street Soccer Project have committed to coach, mentor as well as scout for potential talent, of which some players have already been invited to their youth trials.

All regional coordinators were really impressed with not only the skill that was showcased at all the venues, but also at the camaraderie portrayed between the teams in the build up to the finals. Cyril Pelston, coordinator of Manenberg expressed his delight at the family and friends who supported  the players through the duration of the tournament.

“To see the families and friends come down to the action is fascinating and does a lot in making each player feel important. I have been touched at how close the teams have grown and even trained in-between the tournament days, which really showed on match days in the skills that they have developed,” said Pelston.

The Western Cape leg of the Kia Street Soccer project is made up of a total of one hundred and forty teams across seven regions. Each team in the tournament is made up of six under 13 kids, of whom at least two are girls. All players must have attended school throughout the year prior to the start of the tournament and are encouraged to belong to the local sports club within their community.

‘The Mighty Young Ones’ from Soweto beat the home team ‘Netherlands’ from Alexandra in an energy sapping final which showcased an abundance of talent and skill. The closely contested 2-1 scoreline ensured that the crowds that lined the pavement were kept in anticipation until the final whistle blew.    

Whilst every player had one eye on the trophy, the real factor was the reward of every participant receiving a ticket to go watch a 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM  match after completing the educational and round-robin stages of the programme.

Sponsor Kia Motors, in association with Foodzone, Lets Play and Sporting Chance were pleased with the outcome in the round-robin stages and playoffs which drew hundreds of locals from the community to the ‘street side’ in support of their young soccer stars.

Managing Director of Sporting Chance, Brad Bing and his team, who are the brains trust behind the project, have been thrilled by the skills all teams have shown over the past two months.

“This project has been very special for us in the year that see’s South Africa host the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM  and a special word of thanks must to go our sponsors, associates and partners. Kia Motors, Foodzone, Dischem, Orlando Pirates and Supersport United Football Club, have really made this project a memorable one in Gauteng and I am convinced that every child will remember this project for a long time,” said Bing.

 ”I’m glad the project can continue to see not only every child given the opportunity to witness history in being able to watch a 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM  match, but also those children who showcased talent and impressed our PSL partners have been incorporated into their academy structures to hopefully develop into future professional players” commented Bing.

Local PSL teams Orlando Pirates and Supersport United have been visiting the various regions over the past two months and as part of their association in the Kia Street Soccer Project have committed to coach, mentor as well as scout for potential talent, of which some players have already been invited to their youth trials.

Augusto Palacios, the Youth Development Technical Director from Orlando Pirates and former Peru international player visited various areas and was extremely impressed by the local talent and support.

“To see the vuvuzela’s blowing and to hear the local people cheering whilst watching quality soccer, really showcases the importance that sport plays in this beautiful country,” said Palacios on a visit to Alexandra.

“This is what it is really about, to see these kids being given an opportunity to believe in themselves that maybe one day they can represent their country and play in one of South Africa’s magnificent soccer stadiums,” commented Palacious.

The Gauteng leg of the project makes up a total of seven teams from Johannesburg and Pretoria. Each team in the tournament is made up of six under 13 kids, of whom at least two are girls. All players must have attended school throughout the year prior to the start of the tournament and are encouraged to belong to the local sports club within their community.