Soccer in Philippi
Soccer is the people’s sport in South Africa. Millions of children and youngsters play soccer, and they need support for the absolute basics - in the poverty-stricken townships there is no money at all for coaching or training, let alone for trips to away matches against teams from neighbouring settlements or for tournaments.
The Philipp Lahm Foundation for Sport and Education is dedicated to children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is giving support to the Lutheran Community Centre based in Philippi, Cape Town, run by Rev. Otto Kohlstock, who has lived and worked in Africa for more than 20 years.
The church serves as a sports centre
A fitness studio and karate courses for the township youngsters have already been set up in the nave of the church, which is re-arranged and used as a meeting room and a sports centre as soon as church services are over.By supporting this project, the Philipp Lahm Foundation is trying to help impart the positive values inherent in soccer – above all team spirit, fair play, acceptance of rules, and mutual respect – to the children and youngsters of this community, and to brighten the everyday lives of the people of the township.
Opportunities for education and training
Sports activities provide a way to get through to young people and help them to escape the downward spiral of alcohol, drugs, crime and HIV/Aids. The community centre can direct them towards education and training opportunities, and offers computer courses and qualifications in car repair mechanics.
For more information on the Lutheran Community Centre’s wide range of activities: www.themba-labantu.de.
Report by the coach
Report by the coach Ralf Sattler
For me as the Philippi soccer coach it’s really great to see so many kids coming to the training sessions with so much enthusiasm – often as much as four times a week. We now have five teams – from U9 to U17 – who are usually coached by our three South African coaches, and they’re already doing well in the "Philippi-League".
On the other hand the conditions are really difficult and every day is a hard struggle for everybody. We can’t always use the pitch because we have to share it with three or four other teams. We have to pay a fee for every match, and we now have more matches than ever. And we always need basic equipment – and never have enough balls, posts, training jerseys, small goals etc.
This soccer youth work is so important that it needs to be expanded here in the townships. Soccer is often the only chance these young people have to get off the streets and escape from the downward spiral into crime, drugs and alcohol abuse. We’re doing a good job here, and more and more kids are joining in – what we need is more coaches and better coach training, because the coaches can hardly handle all the kids we’ve got at the moment.
I hope that the support we’re getting from the Philipp Lahm Foundation will continue to give these kids hope and a perspective for the future. Above all I hope that we’ll be able to continue and expand the important work we’re doing here.
Ralf Sattler is a primary school teacher and qualified soccer coach. He has been working for the project in Philippi as an honorary coach since 2009.