Over three hundred and fifty children from the communities of Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain and Manenberg were transported to Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg on Friday 4 April for the 2008 Khulani Beach Soccer Festival.

The primary objective of the event was to use the sports field, or in this case the beach, to bring together children from different cultures and communities, teach them the value of sportsmanship and give them the chance to simply have fun and engage in sport. With funding from the JAG Sports and Education Foundation and support from the City of Cape Town and the South African Football Association: Western Cape, the 4th annual Khulani Beach Soccer Festival was a resounding success.

On arrival each child received a t-shirt, featuring the new design Khulani logo, as well as a light snack and refreshment. “Khulani” (from the Xhosa word meaning “to grow and prosper”) beach soccer is played on the beach between two eight-a-side teams. Each team is assigned a coach and selects a name, often emulating their local and European club heroes, with team names such as “Dynamic Dynamos”, “Portugal”, “Chiefs”, “Super Sundowns” and many others being chosen.

After an exciting morning of round robin matches, the top teams from each age group faced each other in the thrilling finals, cheered on by hundreds of excited children and spectators who gathered on the shoreline to watch the soccer spectacle. Taking top honours in the under-10 age group were “Chiefs” from Khayelitsha with a 3-0 victory over “Thambo” from Nyanga. The under-11 final went to penalties after a goalless game with “Liverpool” from Mananeberg taking the title in a ‘sudden death’ shoot out against the “Samdorai Pirates” from Nyanga. The under- 12 age group champions were “Pirates” from Khayelitsha with a dominant 5-1 victory over “Young Stars” from Mitchell’s Plain.

Top scouts from local PSL Premiership team Ajax Cape Town were spotting talent throughout the morning. For those youngsters who fancied themselves as the next Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy or Ronaldo, it was a perfect opportunity to show off their skills and a number of promising players impressed the scouts earning themselves invitations to attend the AJAX Cape Town youth division trials.

Once the day’s play was over – the children gathered for a final vibe session and the prize giving, during which they were given a talk on the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Before boarding their buses home, each child was given a lunch pack, goodie bag and souvenirs from AJAX Cape Town to take home, along with the memories of sand sliding tackles, striking goals, and loads of fun in the warm South African sun!

Beach soccer is played at a competitive level internationally and in July 2008 France will host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Brad Bing, MD of Sporting Chance hopes in the long-term that the Khulani Beach Soccer Festival will be a feeder for young, talented players into the adult game. Based on the success of the Pick ‘n Pay Calypso Cricket Festival and seeing the benefits of giving more children the opportunity to play sport throughout the week, Sporting Chance aims to secure sponsorship to extend the Khulani Beach Soccer programme next year.

With special thanks to financial supporters JAG Sports and Education Foundation and the City of Cape Town who sponsored the transport and the use of the beach.