Historic event coming to Fezile Dabi Stadium
The stadium was initially built for the World Cup Soccer in 2010, and if it is graded, it can be used for its intended purpose.
Each year, a growing team of volunteers from St Johns College, in collaboration with Community Hours, gets together to work in different communities to invest time, energy and kindness. Every year, the resounding call is to return to the beautiful town of Parys.
This year, another dimension will be added to the five-day outreach camp – a soccer “drills and skills morning” followed by a seven-a-side mini soccer tournament at the Fezile Dabi Stadium in Tumahole on 17 April.
The focus is to interact, communicate and engage 58 St Johns learners with 58 locals from various participating schools.
The clinics, presented by local coaches, will take place from 09:00 to midday, with the tournament starting after lunch.
This is the first time the stadium will welcome Gauteng visitors and host such an event.
The stadium was initially built for the World Cup Soccer in 2010, and if it is graded, it can be used for its intended purpose.
Meanwhile, a small, motivated team of soccer coaches with a vision took the initiative to revive the stadium with its 15,000-seat capacity in January for the sole benefit of the community.
Since the clean-up and revival started on 20 January, local teams have been playing here every weekend, and aerobics classes and other sports activities are on offer.
“Every now and then, if you are lucky, you meet people who simply focus on what is possible, who wrestle with challenges until solutions are apparent, and who commit to bringing people together in a common pursuit.”
People like Mokete Moloi, Lehlohonolo Khoza and others in this small, dedicated team, came together with the help of sponsors and secured the stolen fencing, fixed the borehole pump and ablution facilities at the stadium, and replaced vandalised windows (with the help of Vredefort Dome Tourism).
People from all communities in Parys, including the Working on Fire team and Parys High School, reached out with support and advice – voluntarily committing to bring a much-loved and desperately-needed sporting stadium to life.
Vandals and thieves already caused extensive damage to the electrical cables and infrastructure at the stadium over the past years, because of inadequate security, and, therefore, the dedicated revival team also keeps an eye on the stadium at night.
They do not ask for money. They cut the stadium grass themselves, clean and maintain what they can, and all they need is the support for material and donations to keep on doing what they do, knowing that they are making a difference.
They will soon reap the rewards, with the sound of laughter, the piercing shrill of a referee’s whistle, the smell of competition and the lasting memories of playing a game of soccer at a purpose-built bastion of the game that will become a reality with this event. Let the games begin!
The main entrance to the stadium with the statue of Fezile Dabi after which the stadium was named.
If you can donate power extensions, petrol for the lawnmower, or any other equipment or material, contact Mafa from the Tumahole Sports Council at 063 174 0239, so the local volunteers can keep up the good work they are doing.
Community Hours and St Johns owe their gratitude to an extraordinary group of coaches, caterers, supporters of the #ReclaimFezileDabiStadium movement and Renee Hartslief, who saw the merit in the outreach, said Sarah Walton Blake, who will accompany the volunteers.
Besides the interaction with the Tumahole learners at the mini soccer tournament, Community Hours and St Johns will open their hearts for the Vredefort Hartshuis, Chris van Niekerk School, MooiParys, Parys SPCA, Epilepsy SA and Precious Learnings Tumahole during their visit to Parys.
