Soccer: kids in Langa are on the ball

Project Playground provides a safe platform for children to be themselves. The project has in its care more than 300 children from the township of Langa. It provides after-school classes in sport, with soccer and BMX Biking, and in culture classes in music, dance, the arts and drama. The annual soccer tournament is now in its third year. 20 teams took part in the tournament in five divisions with four teams in each division.

Frida Vesterberg, co-founder of Project Playground, says, “By having this tournament start on this day is our way of honouring the Human rights day.”

On the second day of the tournament before the finals were played, dancers entertained the crowd.

The under 11 final was the first game on the day, but it didn’t happen without controversy. Before each game, players are expected to produce their association cards which have the player’s date of birth and picture to determine if the player is the right age. Because of the pressure and the nerves of playing in the final, some of these young players couldn’t remember their dates of birth when asked by the officials. Some broke down in tears.

But after all the drama, the game got off to a good start, both teams playing attack. The host team, PPG, scored the first goal to take the lead. Langa team equalised. Then PPG scored a second goal in the second half which gave them the first silverware of the first final.

The tournament meant a great deal to the community of Langa who came in numbers to support their children taking part. A parent of one of the children in the tournament says, “Such tournaments are good for our children because when they are here they are safe from all the bad things. I came here to show them that I support what they are doing.”

Another parent, Sikelelwa Mnguphane, says, “Before crime was big in our township and we were scared our children will be part of it, but because of Project Playground our children are always kept busy and away from the bad.”

Vesterberg hopes the tournament will achieve even more in the future. “The tournament brings together people of different backgrounds and cultures, and it exposes different people to the township … We want more teams from white suburbs and parents to come and be part of this and break the stereotypes of townships being dangerous,” she said.

The final results were: PPG Under 11 won 2-1 against Langa FA. PPG Under 13 lost 1-0 against Langa FA. PPG Under 15 won 5-4 on penalties against Beautiful Gate. PPG Under 17 won 1-0 against Langa FA. PPG Under 23 won on penalties 5-4 against Langa FA.