There is a well-known slogan in the townships and perhaps countrywide that goes “take a girl child to work.”.
But the Mamelodi-based community-based organisation DLALISA MOYENI has realised that boy children are left out in this regard and as a result established an organisation that would cater for the needs of boy children.
This past Sunday the organisation hosted its fourth annual soccer tournament, known as the Dlalisa Moyeni Fellowship event, to cater for the needs of soccer-inclined boys in Mamelodi.
The tournament was held at the Muckleneuck Sports grounds in Mamelodi and besides the enthusiastic soccer crazy boys, was attended by erstwhile sooner legends who were happy to rub shoulders with the young kids who up until now had only seen them strutting their stuff on TV.
Dlalisa Moyeni Secretary General Themba Masango told Tshwane Talks that the annual event was the fourth edition of its kind and that this year the organisation was pleased to honour retired football legends like lady soccer star Portia Modise, and male football legends like Doctor Khumalo, Teko Modise, Steve Lekoelea, Sphiwe Tshabalala and Edward “Ma-Gents” Motale.
“The overall aim is to have them back in the townships, especially Mamelodi, where they can be seen and celebrated,” said Masango.
But the most important aim for the event is to have these legends encouraging young up-and-coming soccer-playing boys from the ages of 9 to 19 years and as you can see, we have boys playing in the different categories of the knockout games that have been arranged for today’s event,” said Masango.
Masango said seeing the soccer legends playing live in front of them is a motivation to the young boys to see that they can also make it to the professional football ranks.
He added that the tournament was also a way of keeping boys from the streets as Mamelodi township has a problem with drug-addiction among the youth and young boys in particular.
“The legends who took part in the event will obviously be given some stipend although I can’t disclose how much that is,” said Masango.
He said the emphasis of the tournament to the legends was for them to play live in front of the fabs that have been admiring them for years now.
Masango revealed that Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation now has a football club catering for boys from under the ages 9 right up to the age of 19.
He said the boys in the team train every day of the werk at Muckleneuck and Central sports grounds.
Masango acknowledged the fact that some boys may not be gifted academically but are well-disposed towards soccer and that their team was a good platform for such boys to showcases their talent.
Masango added that the team runs try-outs for boys under the said age categories so that those who are talented among them would be given a chance to enhance their soccer talents.