WSJ (16 June 2010)

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WORLD NEWS JUNE 16, 2010

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Africa Dispatch: Soccer Is a Goal In South AfricaBy JOHN W. MILLER

NEW BRIGHTON, South Africa—In this soccer-mad country, kids of every social class dream of joining "BafanaBafana," the South African national team that has assumed god-like status here during the World Cup.But in the country's townships, a lack of coaches, facilities and visibility is handicapping their development.South Africa has 900 registered clubs for 4.5 million players of all ages, a ratio of one to 5,000, compared with42,490 clubs for 4.2 million players in England, a ratio of 1 to 99, according to FIFA, the sport's organizing body."The spirit and talent are always there in the townships," says Ben Thorburn, a retired South African professionalplayer who runs the Cape Town-based African Brothers soccer academy, which offers scholarships tolow-income prospects and raises funds to certify more coaches and leagues. "But there's so much lacking interms of funding, for the facilities and the number of good coaches."

John W. MillerSouth African youths play soccer in New Brighton township.

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Africa Dispatch: Soccer Spreads Hope in South Africa Townships - WSJ.com http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704198004575310621...

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Even at its best, youth soccer in the townships is lacking inthings that kids in other countries take for granted, such asdecent fields and parental support. A typical league, sayorganizers, is the one in New Brighton, a township outside thesouthern coastal port town of Port Elizabeth. Here, the rate ofHIV-positive people is 34%, unemployment tops 70%, and manystreets have no running water, a common fate in the townships,but youth soccer remains functional, say residents.World Cup fever is palpable here. Nearby Port Elizabeth,population 740,000, is hosting eight matches, but mostresidents can't afford to go. Instead, they crowd into their smallhomes, many of them metal shacks, and rickety one-room pubs,called "shebeens," to watch the games on television.During the World Cup, newspapers have celebrated the humbletownship backgrounds of South African stars like attackerSteven Pienaar."You can't miss the vibe," said Zethu Ngceza, a 20-year-oldwoman who is one of the township's only college students. "Allthe girls have crushes on Siphiwe Tshabalala," she added,naming South Africa's only goal scorer in its opening 1-1 drawagainst Mexico in the opening game on June 11. On Wednesday,South Africa, ranked 90th in the world, fell 3-0 to Uruguay in its

second match.The biggest youth-soccer program in New Bbrighton, which has a population of 400,000, has more than 1,000kids enrolled. Last Sunday afternoon, the third day of the World Cup, the New Brighton Oval, the main field,bustled with more than 100 kids participating in the "2010 Junior Tournament."The Oval is fenced in by a concrete wall topped with barbed wire, to prevent drunks and others from disruptingthe game.There was no drone of the plastic "vuvuzela" horn because there were almost no fans. Parents don't usually cometo watch. Many have died, and others aren't interested in competitive sports, says Qondakele Sompondo, directorof the Ubuntu Education Fund, a nongovernmental organization that organizes after-school programs andadministers AIDS tests. Organizers charged an entry fee of one rand (13 U.S. cents) and parking of two rand. Themoney is a prize for the winning team.The soccer pitch is patchy brown and green from overuse, a contrast to the shiny green rugby pitches that dot thecountryside. In South Africa, rugby has traditionally been the game of the mostly white middle and upperclasses. As a consequence, rugby fields in better areas, along with soccer fields there tend to be bettermaintained.Before a game between Red City and the Port Elizabeth Sundowns in the under-15 division, Toto Ntwanambi, the51-year-old league coordinator, collected identification cards from each player. As has been seen in Little Leaguebaseball in the U.S., the pressure to win in the townships is so intense that coaches have on occasion tried tocheat by recruiting older, stronger players. Mr. Ntwanami gives each coach a pile of ID cards from the opposingteam so they can check ages. Mr. Ntwanambi wields a wooden stick to herd kids off the field who don't belong.Then it was kickoff time.The game was fast-paced and flowing, but not extraordinarily skilled. Behind the goal, 14-year-old SiyabulelaGotyana, who wasn't playing, awaited his turn and showed a visitor an impressive variety of tricks. He dreams of

John W. MillerYoung men in New Brighton spend time outside ashoe-repair shop.

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joining Bafana Bafana, the national team, he says.Unfortunately, "pro scouts rarely make it to places like that," says Mpumi Lallie, site coordinator in PortElizabeth for Grassroots Soccer, which organizes games as a way of educating people about AIDS."Of course they have unrealistic expectations," says Mr. Sompondo. "But that drives them to work hard." Mr.Lallie points out that "just creating the discipline of showing up for training is a positive in high-crime areas."Some things are the same no matter where you are. The Port Elizabeth Sundowns won 1-0, their goal coming ona misplay by the goalkeeper, mirroring the gaffe by England's Robert Green against the U.S. the night before,and causing the Red City coach to throw his hands in the air.

—Each week, Africa Dispatch takes a snapshot of a different African place, offering a ground-level view of changeon the continent.

Write to John W. Miller at [email protected]


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