International input for Mtuba soccer players
American junior soccer coach, Ben Snyder lends his expertise to the squad.
MTUBA Football Academy (FA) is still without a permanent training field, but head coach Sheldon Hughes has not let that get in the way of training sessions, especially when American junior soccer coach, Ben Snyder lends his expertise to the squad.
On sabbatical and travelling through southern Africa, Ben and his wife Sarah are in South Africa as part of a volunteers programme by the school Noble and Greenough, at which they both teach.
Mtuba FA soccer players could not wait for the arrival of their international coach and were delighted with his training tips.
Children from Mtubatuba’s communities travel great distances, some as many as 10km on foot, each week to get to training sessions.
In the ongoing saga of the academy being denied use of Mtubatuba Primary School’s field, the children have to walk a further 2km for training sessions on a temporary field. While Hughes is grateful for the temporary use of the field to ensure players don’t miss training sessions in the run-up to the soccer season, there are challenges, such as the extra travelling distance for his 120 odd players.
‘Resolving the issue with Mtubatuba Primary is first prize, but that won’t happen until after the School Governing Body elections on Wednesday,’ said Hughes. @TamlynJolly
