Lockdown rips sports apart

A number of teams have been forced to suspend their plans for the year due to the restrictions of the lockdown.

Peter Schutte, Ben Vorster High School’s rugby coach, said that the loss of games will mostly harm the Grade 12 players who are hoping to get bursaries from universities or a spot in provincial teams.

His boys have missed out on a few important games and tournaments such as the Noord-Suid Tournament in Worcester in the Western Cape as well as the annual Easter Rugby Tournament.

“The lockdown has a ripple effect on their futures, especially those who want to make a living out of rugby. These tournaments are attended by talent scouts who identify players for their teams. These are now missed opportunities.”

However it is not all gloom as he is hopeful that the Virseker Beker will still take place after the lockdown.

Schutte has found ways of maintaining the fitness level of his players by creating a training program which they follow at home and report back to him on a daily basis.

Peace Khosa, founder of Nkowankowa Barcelona FC and coach of Bonn City FC, said that local football has also grounded to a halt.

His Barcelona development players were supposed to play against Wits Academy and Transnet Academy in Johannesburg.

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“It would have been a great opportunity for the boys to be noticed by scouts during the games. Now that can’t happen anymore,” Khosa explained.

Bonn City FC was competing in the SAB League before the lockdown. They were only three points behind the leaders.

Nadia Last, Merensky High School’s first team hockey coach, said her team has already missed out on two games.

“I’m worried about the matrics, because for some of them it is their last year to play hockey.

We had only played for three weeks before lockdown and I don’t think that after this we will be able to continue playing the game,” Last added.

Nkowankowa Athletics Club founder, Conride Shikwambana, said the lockdown had a particularly big affect on five of his athletes who were supposed to compete in the national championship in Paarl in the Western Cape during the school holidays.

It also threatens the Annual Youth Race presented by the club in June.

He hopes that Athletics South Africa will provide him with an alternative date if it cannot go ahead.

Moses Mohale, SAFA’s provincial match commissioner and a member of the Mopani Schools Executive Committee, says the lockdown has left most school sports in disarray as all the competitions had been cancelled. He said it is unclear if they will continue after the lockdown.