Duduza – Siphiwe Ngubeni (19) and Siphesihle Malope (19) formed their soccer tournament games in June that take place every Saturday at the Roseview Sportsground.
The games aim to keep the youth and young children off the streets and occupied through soccer. Ngubeni said they had seen how substance abuse swallowed some of their peers, saying it was hard for them to witness.
“There are people I know and grew up with who are substance users. Some of them were excellent soccer players but have now allowed peer pressure to take away their talents.
“Our initiative aims to provide one another with motivation and support. We are more of a support group that gathers every weekend to play soccer, and iron out the issues we face personally and socially,” he said.
Malope added that it has been difficult to ignore the challenges some of their peers face at home and they often do not have anyone to vent to.
“This is how we are each other’s support system,” he added.
He said the situations they encounter at home sometimes make or break how they view themselves and life.
“We come from different backgrounds and face different challenges daily. We need to understand that we are not the same, and we do not reason the same way. I say this because some of the stories we share during our chats as a group are painful and, at times, unbearable.
“There are young people who face abuse at home, who sleep on an empty stomach, who resort to criminal activities as their way of providing for their families,” added Malope.
He said they formed the soccer tournaments group to help those who need help by providing a safe space to talk about their problems.
“We want to grow our club to include younger kids between the ages of six and 13. We want to also give them an ear, educate them on certain topics and further provide them with soccer skills,” cited Malope.
The founders said they would appreciate sponsorship from businesses, the community and business owners, saying they need donations like soccer kits, balls and cones.
They also said they would appreciate help from professionals who could educate them about starting small businesses and health issues and a person who could provide counselling sessions to those in need.
Their July 20 game between 16V and Kitchen FC ended victoriously for 16V by 3-1.
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