Ward 66 sports committee takes off

The brainchild of ward 66 councillor, JP Prinsloo, saw the ward 66 sport’s committee’s election at a public meeting on Tuesday, 15 October, with the ward councillor as an ex-officio member.

The primary purpose of this working group is to create synergy between the sport clubs and schools in the ward and highlight the activities of the various sporting bodies in an effort to attract young people and encourage them to participate at club level. Added to this, the committee will endeavour to identify the needs of each club and school in the ward and attempt to assist with upgrades to ensure each discipline is able to operate at its full potential.

Young sports stars in the ward will be identified and their achievements will be acknowledged by the sport’s committee.

Elected by those in attendance is chairperson, Chris van Niekerk, an energetic, vibrant young man who has a long history of involvement in local sporting activities. Chris is passionate about the development of clubs on the Bluff and has committed himself to taking sport in the ward to the next level to ensure the community continues to produce champions in the various disciplines.

The vice chair position is filled by Pam Bester, known for her involvement in boxing, golf and line dancing on the Bluff. Pam sees her election as an opportunity to utilise her strength as an event organiser to ensure that all sporting events on the Bluff are planned and run to achieve the optimum benefit from each event.

Cheryl Waterman will function as the committee secretary and scribe. Having taught on the Bluff for many years, Cheryl has a history as a successful coach of swimming, athletics, hockey and cricket, and is currently involved with promoting the game of lawn bowls to the younger generation.

The general committee members comprise Norman Gilbert who has served as a sport’s administrator since 1998 and has served as president for both the KZN Baseball and Softball Associations. Norman is currently the coach of the Durban based players who are part of the South African U18 baseball elite training squad.

Jillian Nel has sport and health club management experience and is currently the administrator and head coach at a mini-hockey club. Her passion is sport for wellness and she will strive to ensure that every member of the community has access to a sporting activity regardless of their level of ability, be it physical or financial.

Current hockey player and mini-hockey coach, Jayson Buchanan, believes in the power of sport to change mindsets of young people and sees it as a tool to correct social issues. Jayson’s mission is to become involved in sports and organization of events to uplift the youth in the community.

Julian Japhta has participated in various sports that include track athletics, rugby, basketball, cricket and rugby. He has acted as an assistant coach in junior soccer and is currently coaching track athletes and is awaiting certification from KZN athletics.

Christo Potgieter is a passionate sports participant and supporter who lists his enthusiasm for cricket, soccer and rugby at school and club level.

This dedicated group of volunteers has committed themselves to the development of all sporting disciplines in ward 66 in an attempt to ensure that the community receives the recognition it deserves. Their directive can only be achieved with full support and open door communication from the sporting bodies in the ward. They will soon be setting up a social media page that will allow for any local activities to be broadcast and made known to the public. Clubs wishing to communicate planned activities to the committee may do so by emailing ward66.sportssecretary@gmail.com or ward66.sportsdevelopment@gmail.com.

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