Mbombela school ready to shine

St Mark’s school soccer team will fly the province’s flag when they participate in the National Winter Games scheduled for July 11 to 15 in Benoni.

This school, which has built quite a reputation for itself, has an opportunity of qualifying for the CAF Pan-African Schools Football Championship games, but only if they outshine all the other eight provinces next week during the National Winter Games.

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“This is such a beautiful moment for my boys, who have worked really hard since the start of the competition against local schools. From the circuit play-offs, which we easily won, until we reached the provincial stage, which qualified us for the National Winter Games, we were amazing.

“It has not been an easy journey to where we are now, but with the discipline and dedication from the lads, we will be aiming for the top spot in the national play-offs,” said head coach Rewano Swarts.

“The boys have been training for six months without taking a break, so they are prepared for the national games. While other children are at home during the school break, our boys are here working even harder than usual because they want to win. Despite not having seen their parents in months, these boys are nonetheless present out of love.

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“In terms of the development of football, we have encountered numerous difficulties. I believe that as a structure, we are on the right track in terms of football education and education we highlight and teach. Because this is a chance for all the children in the Nsikazi area, what we do here at St Mark’s is to take a diamond out of the rough and polish it to perfection. We argue a lot with the boys, but ultimately, it’s just out of love.”

Swarts said financial difficulties have always been the case, but because of love of the game, they soldier on and continue to push forward.

“The boys need the right equipment for their football education, because their potential is clearly demonstrated by their winning attitude. To ensure good nourishment, we need resources. We need funds for all football-related equipment, but due to our dedication, we will continue to utilise what we have at our disposal and, inevitably, attain greater heights.”

The club’s acting captain, Asanda Swarts, said, “We had to juggle schoolwork, soccer practice and soccer games, making the competition challenging. We are in it to win it, so we are going there to win it. We won’t be returning home empty-handed, I promise. Since we have been putting in the additional time, we are prepared to bring the glory home.”