Soccer action board game gets the youth off the couch
ILLOVO – An innovative soccer action board game to get the youth off the couch has been invented by a Fairways Primary School teacher.
Mfanimpela Sydney Ngwenya said the board game can be played indoors and outdoors, and it did not only take youngsters off the couch, but it also takes them off the streets and involved in physical activities. The game comes with a book of instructions that gives players physical activities to do in order to progress to the next stage. These physical activities include push-ups, sit-ups and ball control exercises.
“This game can help us in fighting crime, obesity and it can help our nation grow the culture of soccer in an innovative way,” said Ngwenya.
He added that the initial idea to create this game first occurred to him in 2009. Ngwenya calls the game “a soccer coach in absentia” because the board game provides soccer skills development comprising of ball control and fitness. “It is also a source for entertainment, builds creativity, healthy competition and is a social game for friends and families,” added Ngwenya.
He is a technology and isiZulu teacher, and a sports coach at the school. In his private capacity Ngwenya coaches his own soccer team in Katlehong.
In his prime, Ngwenya was also a soccer player destined for greatness, but his family encouraged him to focus on his studies. He played for Wits as a winger and striker, and went for trials with Kaizer Chiefs in 1994 and Orlando Pirates in 1995. “I had to put my education first and often the soccer got in the way,” he said.
His vision is to have the board game distributed at various schools. “Kids need to be taught how to play again,” he added. “This world of iPads is taking that away from our kids. After school and during the weekend they are not active anymore, they sit at home in front of the television or in front of their iPads.”
The game is for anyone and everyone interested in physical development, skills development and the game of soccer. Ngwenya is currently in talks with potential sponsors and fundraisers who are interested in helping him launch his game. “I want every child in Africa to have this game,” he said.
Details: 072 979 2300 or nmfanimpela@gmail.com
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