Women’s club hosts tournament
IT WAS a perfect family afternoon out for soccer lovers who came out in their numbers.
The Sandringham Women’s Soccer Club hosted the Bagolo Batlile Gauteng Soccer League’s annual mid-season tournament on 21 July.
The local club hosted its counterparts from areas as far as afield as Hamanskraal and Mamelodi in Pretoria.
Players from the participating teams were mainly grandmothers and domestic workers.
Hilda Hamese, manager of the local team told the North Eastern Tribune that the club was formed by domestic workers from the area in a bid to keep fit and healthy.
According to her, the women realised that sitting and watching TV all afternoon was not going to help them stay fit. “We decided to start being active because that was the only thing that would keep us healthy and keep sicknesses like high blood pressure in check,” she said.
More than five games were played during the tournament and the teams were categorised according to age groups. These were Mamas, Junior Gogos and Gogos.
The oldest player in the tournament is 74 years old.
The league was formed in 2009 and has since hosted five successful seasons.
Hamese called on sponsors to come forward and assist her team when they host such tournaments.
She said, “We struggle with getting basic things like equipment which includes soccer kits and balls, and ask that members of the public contact us with any help they have to offer.”
She added that they needed first aid and emergency personnel during match days, as most of the women are elderly and some of them have chronic illnesses.
“We need to make sure that we are ready for any casualties as we don’t want fatalities, which would be unfortunate,” she said.
Hamese’s club hosts practise sessions every afternoon at the sports grounds behind the Fairmount Bowling Club.
