Forum in desperate need of facilities

The Wattville-Actonville Sports Forum is in need of proper facilities to successfully run its sports development programmes.

The forum, which was established three years ago, is using the Actonville Squash Courts as their training facility.
Among a host of programmes the forum offers are rugby, boxing and squash. Yet, this facility does not accommodate most of the sporting codes in their offering.

They use the squash courts for boxing training, squash and badminton and have to share the artificial turf between football and hockey fields.

The ground they aim to use for rugby and football has overgrown grass that needs to be cut.

“Our challenge is finding facilities that will accommodate all the sports in our programme. Our football team was training at Lords Cricket Ground. However, we were chased out and there’s also an issue with the Wattville Stadium.

“Our platform will give children in Actonville and Wattville a sporting chance. We want to take these children to tournaments where they will be spotted by scouts.

“So far, we have three rugby players who are playing for Valke women. We also have a boxer who we sent to VIP Promotions,” said the forum’s head of projects and development, Ferguson Radebe.

Radebe told the paper that even though federations such as Ekurhuleni Boxing Organisation, Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association and Valke Rugby assist them with equipment, their athletes still require training and playing gear.

Radebe revealed they have sent their grievances to councillors in Wattville and Actonville but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

“We have spoken to the councillors about our situation. We have identified several facilities we want to use, for example, the open space in Actonville that will be perfect for rugby and football. We haven’t heard anything from them.

“We need facilities. We sit with around 150 cricketers.”

The forum invites those interested to come and register their children for any sporting code at their office at the Actonville Squash Courts. They may also contact Phakamile Ndinga on 079 016 708 for more information.

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