Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
The phenomenal success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted amidst the vibrancy of Africa and the colour and diversity of South Africa gives credence to sport as a tool with the power to inspire and unite people and, create happiness. South Africans from all walks of life joined in the celebration of our hosting of the largest event in the world. Pride became a powerful incentive towards uniting our people.
The more sport is encouraged at every level of participation and the better the performances of our national teams at international level, the greater the impact of sport on social cohesion and nation building.
Sport is a significant part of any nation’s culture, leisure time, health, economy and education. Youth directly involved will benefit from a significantly enhanced quality of life.
The physical activities youth engage in, how they are integrated into community life, the values expressed through them and how they are celebrated; will help define individuals, groups, communities and a nation. The sum of these activities makes up a nation’s physical culture – play, fitness, sport, dance and so on.
As we hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup,we committed to implementing sustainable legacy programmes to ensure that the benefits of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is cascaded to all our people. We believe that Football should and must be a major beneficiary in this regard.
In December 2010 I was witness to the launch of the FNB 2010 Legacy Programme right here at SAFA House.
I am delighted to see that FNB and SAFA has worked hard to deliver on the promises made to the football youth of South Africa.
This is just one of the building blocks of FNB’s commitment to football development and is likely to impact on the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of young boys and girls in the vicinity of the artificial football turfs that FNB has developed over the last 4 years. We cannot build infrastructure without providing the necessary programmes and resources to support this.
The Minister of Sport has made it very clear that youth sport needs to experience a revival in South Africa.
In order for SRSA to deliver on its mandate of sport development and attain its vision for an active and winning nation, sport support systems must be aligned to deliver within an integrated sport development continuum.
One that begins from the school level where the foundations for participation and competition have to be developed, strengthened and sustained in order for talent to be identified and nurtured at an early stage and then developed to an elite level using scientific methods
Noting that School Sport is an integral part of mass participation in sport., Sport and Recreation South Africa therefore resolves to:
- Offer access to sport and recreation in all schools within South Africa;
- Investigate international best-practice regarding the implementation of school sport;
- Draft a national school sport policy and present for adoption by cabinet to give direction to all stakeholders for seamless implementation;
- Develop a programme of action and engage with the Department of Basic Education and Teacher Unions and agree on the roles and responsibilities of school managers and educators in delivering sport in schools;
- Establish integrated school sport codes structures from local to national;
- Work with federations and school code structures to develop integrated school sport development plans with clear and achievable targets;
- Work with National Federations to develop business plans for integrated mass participation programmes;
- Implement school sport leagues through school sport code structures in conjunction with federations;
- Engage the Ministry of Higher Education and Training to incorporate sport education into the Teacher Training Curriculum.
It must be noted that the cornerstone for player development lies within the club system. Clubs must organise and structure themselves to serve the evolving needs of players - taking into account that within any club there are a variety of levels and needs.
The organisation, planning and administration of a club cannot be detached from the players and the game itself.
These children will not only be benefiting from the football skills they will be acquiring, but also from life skills programmes which will teach them skills like leadership, discipline and respect.
Not only are FNB and SAFA addressing Government’s call for youth sport development, but it is also addressing the call for job creation.
Through the identification and capacitating of these 15 coaches for the FNB Football First programme, the 15 FNB Football First Coaches have been granted the opportunity to develop a real career as a football coach.
I believe that this programme is a huge step in the right direction. I wish you all the best and we hope to see tangible evidence in the not too distance future of the benefits of this programme.
I thank you.
