The harsh reality about our football is that we no longer have proper training facilities for young players.
This is our biggest challenge because when our boys go and play at these so-called high profile academies they struggle because they are not used to playing in those kind of conditions, or should I say pitches.
This is not the first time TOUCHLINE has highlighted the issue of our boys training on hard ground most of the time.
If our youngsters play on these hard surfaces it should be on a volunteer basis, like during the festive season when they will be involved in tournaments organised at this time.
The all-time argument will be that players like Steve ‘Chippa’ Lekoela grew up playing under these challenging conditions.
This is not true.
Lekoelea’s development started when he played at the Milton Soccer Fields. He played at FNB Stadium while still playing for Two For Joy FC.
He was exposed to these conditions at an early age of his career.
My point is that when these boys go and play on the well-maintained soccerfields, or ‘turfs’, they look silly because they are not usually exposed to them.
TOUCHLINE advises development coaches to go to the nearby schools and talk with the principals, urging use of decent facilities for training or playing purposes so that these youngsters can get used to this environment. This will help our youngsters develop their potential. Please don’t misunderstand me.
It is not a sin to play in those conditions, but we must not come with excuses even if we have better conditions.
It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure the future Bafana Bafana players train and play in the right conditions from an early age.
The problem with our football is that the people who run it are allergic to the truth. They hide their heads in the sand when they are exposed.
TOUCHLINE also challenges the municipality to revisit the township facilities for the sake of these youngsters.
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