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Football is the sport of choice for many of Tshwane’s high schools and its popularity is on the rise with the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ approaching. For this reason football, locally called soccer, is the main focus of sports development, given its potential to uplift the children of previously marginalised areas.
Under 12 Development Programme
As a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the City of Tshwane, together with partners from Korean development football, SAFA Tshwane and the Department of Education held an U12 Development Football Programme for 2010.
Soccer Clinics
From February to April 2010, over 2 000 children from soccer teams in schools all over Tshwane attended a total of 12 two-day clinics presented by Tshwane soccer legends – local players who made soccer what it is today. The first day of each clinic was a day of coaching and instruction, whilst the second was a mini tournament with all the teams playing for the first place.
Mayoral Cup
The culmination of this programme was the U12 Mayoral Cup final, played on Saturday 15 May 2010 at the Soshanguve Block X Sports Grounds. It was a day filled with fun and enthusiasm and the faces of the kids playing and watching made it clear that this programme was a success. The City owes a vote of thanks to its development partners, the Acts 29 Korean development programme, SAFA Tshwane and of course the local soccer legends.
 
The boys’ trophy was won by Arcadia Shepards Winners of the girls’ tournament was Kopa-dilatelo Primary School
Girls’ Development Football
 To embrace the growing popularity of soccer amongst women, the Dlala Ntombazana programme (which means “play girl!”) was launched in Mamelodi in 1996. The Programme accommodates girls from U/11; U/13; U/15; U/17; U/19 and seniors.
The programme was started with the aim to encourage girls and women to participate in soccer and to promote and develop soccer amongst girls and women. Programme educates girls on health matters like HIV/AIDS through the Altus Sport Challenge in December each year, leadership through the ASHOKA programme and further education through the Altus Sport Management Scholarships.
The Dlala Ntombazana programme teamed up with the City of Tshwane in order to expand their reach to girls and women. The city seeks further support for the programme to expand and involve more girls.
The Dlala Ntombazana programme has had many accomplishments, especially in recent years, accomplishments South Africa is very proud of. Busisiwe Ndimeni went to Iceland to play soccer on a scholarship.
Maphuti Manamela was selected for the National U/17 team. She played her first match for the National U/17 team against Botswana where they won 9-1, which was a World Cup qualifying match.
Dlala Ntombazana has grown to great heights since its birth in 1996. In 1996 they involved local schools in Mamelodi in their programme. The programme teamed up with the City of Tshwane in 2007 and had their first Gauteng Provincial competition in 2008.
Street Soccer - Life’s a Ball!
Tshwane’s street soccer team is officially the second best in the world, having won second place in the first Street Soccer World Cup finals in Berlin in 2006. More recently, the Tshwane Altus Sport street soccer team won the tournament organised by FIFA for the launch of its Football for Hope programme in December 2009, playing against teams from Brazil as well as elsewhere in Africa and South Africa.
Street soccer is a game played with mixed teams of boys and girls and has been played by youngsters in the streets of cities and villages across the world for decades. In the townships of South Africa street soccer gets the kids into a programme of fun, teamwork and away from dangerous pastimes like drugs and crime.
The aims of the street soccer project are to promote friendship and peace, a clean and healthy environment, anti-discrimination, combating violence and drug abuse and to teach the players about children’s rights. The project is presented in conjunction with the Life’s a Ball programme of Altus Sport which also aims at educating the players about HIV/AIDS, and morality building.
The street soccer programme also incorporates an HIV/Aids awareness and education campaign called Kick Aids.
The City of Tshwane has been instrumental in establishing a structure and a league for street soccer through the Tshwane local sports councils. This programme will benefit greatly from the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and we have high hopes for the Tshwane team in the 2010 Street Soccer World Cup here at home this year. It is a true legacy that will last long after July 2010.
To find out more about street soccer in Tshwane contact Konrad Dillman at
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