Young cricketers try hand at badminton
Because of his love for children, Vosloorus Cricket Club development coach Isaac Phele has come with an alternative indoor sport - badminton for young township cricketers.
Speaking to Kathorus MAIL on Monday, March 19, Phele said cricket is a seasonal sport and as a result young cricketers get bored during the off-season.
“So I came up with an alternative sport – badminton – for them. It is going to be a new thing in the township,” said Phele.
“I came up with this idea so that I will keep children in sport even during the cold winter because they get bored once they stop taking part in sport and end up abusing drugs. I want to close that gap during the cricket off-season.”
He added that at the moment he is busy teaching children the basics of badminton.
“We teach the children at Benoni Northerns.”
He said his long-term goal is to start a league for the sport.
“We will start by going to the township schools and identify at least five or 10 learners per school. Then we will pick players and create teams around them and then once we have teams we will introduce the league. But the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) will install the equipment in the hall that we have already identified as per the agreement we have with them,” said Phele.
He thanked the municipality for their support and involvement in the development of sport in the township.
He went on to add that the EMM have already given them the go-ahead to identify the hall.
“We have already done so. What we need now is for them to come and inspect the hall in Vosloorus Extention 14, approve it and then install the equipment,” said Phele.
