A rose among the thorns. That is how the team of coaches referred to Lissa Gumede, the only woman to participate in the D Licence Coaching Course recently held at Mbombela Stadium.
There were 40 local soccer coaches who attended this eight-day course, 39 men and Gumede, but this did not keep her away from following her passion. According to her, when she entered the football fraternity, she knew it was male-dominated.
“I love and enjoy what I do, so even when I find myself in a situation in which I am surrounded by men only, I always remind myself why I started what I am doing.”
According to Gumede from Msogwaba, her passion for children is what had led her to the soccer and sports fraternity in the first place.
She is not only one of the people who attended the course, she is a woman making a difference in her community and believes that with the right resources, she will be able to bring the change needed for the youth.
“When I started my journey, I was simply doing a reading camp for the children in my community, and I would help them with their homework. As time went by, I realised that most of them enjoyed playing outside more than staying indoors. I then took a chance and tried to play soccer with them. They enjoyed it so much, they did not want to stop, and that is how Blue Horse Sporting Academy was started in 2013. This academy has children from five years up to young adults of 23.”
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She said she did not know much about soccer, but the kids helped her to learn the game.
“These children motivated me to be who I am today and they will continue to inspire me. I remember one of the players approached me and started to explain how the game is played. He said we need to have defenders, middle fielders, strikers and goalkeepers. He explained that each and everyone needed to know their roles on the field. He explained every step, but at the time I did not want to give it away to these children that I did not know the game.
“We started by playing at Maphakama soccer ground and we later moved to Moyeni sports ground. I have registered the teams in the Safa Youth Development leagues and they compete with other teams outside our area.
“I continued building myself; Penreach gave me an opportunity to be a volunteer, while doing that, Penryn College gave me a chance to be an assistance coach. This gave me exposure to various sports games such as hockey, swimming, cricket and netball. With time I improved my skills and the more I learnt, the more I shared with the children in my community. I managed to acquire a netball umpire network certificate that has made a huge impact for all of us.”
Since she started this initiative about 10 years ago, she has never looked back, and continues to give back to her community.
“We meet every day in my home, and we divide our hours. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we meet for two hours for homework, and go to the sports field afterwards. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we focus mainly on sport. The children enjoy this programme and they show up daily.”
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This initiative keeps these players away from the streets and from social ills, such as drug abuse.
Gumede said she wants to reach out to the public to assist her. “We are in need of soccer equipment and kit. We meet every day after school, and I would like to ask sponsors to provide us food and with funds for transport during our league games. Most of the players come from less fortunate families.”
Those who would like to make a contribution or assist her, contact Gumede on 082 516 5938.
