LIMPOPO – The new Gladness Athletics Club in Nzhelele invites athletes from the region to join their club, and appeals to businesses and sponsors to get on board for the sake of developing this lucrative sport and seeing local talent grow.
The club founder, Tendani Phunyuku says they are not making the progress he had hoped for yet in terms of growing the club, with their main challenges being financing and sponsorship.
“As most of our members come from the disadvantaged communities, they can hardly afford training kits and registration fees. But despite these challenges, people still have faith in the club. This region has a lot of talent that goes to waste. Athletics is a rewarding sport and many people from this area could make a well-paid career from it if properly guided and trained,” he said.
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Phunyuku had run with various teams for many years.
He says the idea with the club is to identify young boys and girls from Vhembe and give them an opportunity to learn life skills and receive training.
They already have more than 20 members registered who will participate in marathons around South Africa and 21km races around the province.
“I had this dream of using new ways to empower young people and turn them into great sportsmen and woman, so I had to detach myself from the other clubs where I had been a member and focus on implementing my ideas. All we need is a little support. We need sponsorships for transport, registration and licences for the club,” he said.
Interested people or organisations wishing to help can phone Phunyuku on 071 951 3310 or 082 934 0417.
