Hawks FC player desires more sports facilities for local youth

Hawks FC midfielder and striker Nzuzo ‘Ricardo’ Zondani believes every child in SA should be able to have access to a sports field and equipment, and coaches to guide them.

The talented local player described sport as an activity that made individuals humble. “No matter who you are, there is always someone bigger, better, faster, or stronger than you.”

The 17-year-old said playing soccer almost every day had helped him to stay away from ‘mischief sucking up the kasi youth’.

“In my own experience, playing soccer after school prevents children from getting into drugs, gangs, or committing crimes. Soccer or any sports has the ability to pull people into a hopeful escape from the real world rather than dealing with the struggles of day-to-day life,” said Ricardo.

He said Midrand and its surrounds have few sports facilities and with adequate facilities, a safe and educational environment could be provided for the local children. “There are many soccer teams from Midrand, even Tembisa, that use Rabie Ridge Stadium as their home ground while Rabie Ridge has its team from the area. Every team should have a home ground in the area it is based.”

The young star admires clubs such as TS Galaxy and SuperSport United for giving local players a chance to showcase their talent through trials. “Regardless of how much we enjoy sports because of our passion and talent, we still do it because we hope it will eventually help our families escape poverty, and to do that, we need access to sports programmes which do not only take place once or twice a year, but happen every day and are accessible to everyone.”

His playing for Hawks in the regional league at a young age is one of his biggest accomplishments and he aims to reach the bigger stage as soon as possible.

Related Article:

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/314289/midrand-derby-between-hawks-and-indlovu-ends-in-a-draw/