Every Friday afternoon, the streets of Ocean View turn into a sporting highlight for kids in the area. Local coaches and organisations come together to give children a space to learn, play and compete in a positive environment.
Sporting Chance, Sportsmans Warehouse, the City of Cape Town and the National Lotteries Commission are the organisations behind the sports fun.
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Involving over 100 kids under the age of 13, the organisers use sport as a driving force to promote good life choices and positive values.
Shirley Botes, co-ordinator of the programme at Sporting Chance, spoke regarding the programme and its talented learners, as reported by News24.
“I have been doing this for 14 years in the community under the wing of Sporting Chance. This is the first year that Ocean View is having the full-on street sports of netball, cricket and soccer all at once.”
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Botes explained that the programme is aimed at primary school children aged 10 to 13. Botes goes to primary schools in the area and constructs teams that cater equally to boys and girls.
The primary purpose for the programme, Botes said, is for the learners to have fun and enjoy an environment that is separate from their home and school lives.
After being put on hold during COVID-19, Sporting Chance Street Sports is back every Friday afternoon, where teams can compete on tar-like pitches in adapted versions of cricket, netball and soccer.
“We also make sure they have something to eat. It is about the joy and expression, the kids can’t wait because they have something to go to on a Friday afternoon and it is something positive.”
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Picture: News24
