TWENTY one players from Riverside Football Club U13 team are set for the trip of a lifetime next year as they head to Belgium for two invitational tournaments.
The team, coached by Dominiek van Reeth, will play two of the country’s biggest clubs, Sint-Amands FC (Antwerp) and Club Brugge FC (Bruges).
Van Reeth who is Belgian, played for the Sint-Amands team and it was his contacts who organised the tournament.
“I’ve been playing football for a number of years and I actually played for Sint-Amands, so it was contacts in Belgium who organised the event. Some of my family and friends opened their hearts and have also begun GoFundMe pages to help us raise the funds for the boys.
“For me this was about giving the boys a once-in-a-liftime opportunity. There will be international scouts at the tournament and I was hoping the international exposure would help their game. This is just the start really as I’m also trying to get another team within the club to Sweden in 2020,” he said.
Two members of the club looking forward to the trip next year are Joy Kabangu and Glory Mutombo.
“I’ve never been out of the country so I’m extremely excited to play with other international clubs and showcase our South African flair and talent. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us as a team,” Kabangu explained.
For fellow teammate, Glory, the experience would be a huge learning curve.
“It’s going to be a great experience for us and an awesome opportunity to learn from other players from around the world. I don’t know where Belgium is exactly in Europe but I know they have some great football players and I would love to walk in the coach’s footsteps and play against his former club,” Mutombo said.
If you would like to help the team, contact Dom on 079 980 8724.
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