Daveyton Rugby Club aims to improve youth lifestyle
The union was founded by Jaco Coetzer, who started this initiative in Daveyton and other townships in 2015.
Daveyton resident Mlungiseleli Mdashe, the coach of the Jaguars Rugby Club, is looking for community members to join the club and a new practice field for his team.
The club was formerly known as the Daveyton Rugby Club, which falls under the umbrella association Valke Rugby Union, which was previously known as the South African Rural Club development.
This is the only rugby club in Daveyton and Mdashe hopes to grab the attention of a rugby field owner who will allow this evolving team to strive to the best of their abilities.
“We have a field, but it is not feasible for the rugby players,” Mdashe said.
“It is predominantly used for soccer and other ball sports.”
Mdashe added that it is a challenge for the team not to have a specific ground to use when there is practice or games.
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“It is a problem also in the community because they know that there is a rugby team in Daveyton, but they cannot come to watch the games as we use Gekombineerde Skool Noorderlig as a home base,” he explained.
The union was founded by Jaco Coetzer, who started this initiative in Daveyton and other townships in 2015.
“The purpose of this development was to bring rugby to the township and develop the youth through sports. Most importantly it was to break the stigma that rugby is a non-black sport,” he explained.
Prior to Mdashe taking up the coaching position two years ago, where he coaches for free, he was a rugby referee for 10 years, from 2003 to 2013.
“It was a bumpy, costly and enjoyable journey as I came across difficult situations and obviously I learnt a few things that groomed me,” he said.
“We are trying our best to get to the community and businesses to know that there is a venture, aiming to uplift the lives of the youth through rugby,” he said.
The team receives funding from the Gauteng Department of Sport, Art, Culture and Recreation through the assistance of Valke Rugby Union’s development manager, Coetzer.
“The Jaguars Rugby Club has grown in stature and they are competing well against the traditional rugby clubs,” said Coetzer.
The club is playing in the Traditional Valke League and will soon be playing for the third consecutive year in the Kestral League.
If you would like to join the team or have a field that the youngsters can use for practice, contact Mdashe on 063 924 9535 or the secretary of the club, Busang, on 081 881 1285.
