First Friendly

The Ubuntu Football Academy has its first friendly (or scrimmage) this week!  Mike met a couple at Hillsong Church that runs a club in another area of town.  We made a plan to have a friendly match.  We knew their U-13 age group wasn't that strong, but the kids were ready to go out a play a game.  We had a great time playing the game, scored some goals, and learned some things about our team.
Mike has already set up another game for this week against a much more established club.  That will show us a whole lot more about where we are!

Casey

They are Rising!

Friends, Followers, and Supporters,
We have some exciting news to announce! Ubuntu Sports Outreach is launching a special fundraising campaign. Over the next 60 days, from now until Easter, we are seeking to raise $18,000 to cover the costs of all 24 soccer teams/coaches we hope to have this year. We are doing this through a new crowd funding format called Causevox. You can find the cause, and donate, right here: www.rising.causevox.com.
Our hope is that by making this really easy for people we can get LOTS of people involved. So, not only are we asking you to give a little, but please spread this throughout your friends! Make it your facebook status once a week for the next 2 months. Put it on twitter. Email your friends. Put it in your church bulletin. Write it in the sky! You can find all the details on the site, so I won't share all of them with you here.
There is significance to doing this at Easter. On that day we celebrate Jesus rising from death to new life which he offers to us. Our coaching mentors are offering the boys in these schools the opportunity for new life as well. Come, let's do it together.
Over 60 days we need to raise only $300 each day.
We only need 1,000 people to give at least $18.
If 1,800 people give $10, we will bring new life!
Imagine if 8 people, church groups, or families sponsored whole teams,
that would only leave $12 for 1000 people give.

Thanks for the support you give us for EVERYTHING that we are doing!

Casey & the Ubuntu Sports Outreach Staff

We have a need

We have a need for volunteers, a serious need!  As Ubuntu Sports Outreach grows we need more help!  We have a few specific needs and we invite you to pray about filling that need.  Or maybe you can think of somebody that would be perfect for this.
The first need we have is for someone that likes to work behind the scenes, can help with some organizational & administrative stuff, and likes to write and communicate with people.  Do you have experience writing reports or stories?  Are you good at the details?  This area is growing the more we do, especially as we try to raise significant funds to support Ubuntu Football Academy.  Can you come help us for 3, 6, or 12 months?  (This is a need NOW.)
We also need volunteers to help with our schools programs.  Each school program is run by a local volunteer, but those programs would be enhanced with the assistance and encouragement of a foreign volunteer.  You'll provide needed energy and credibility to the team.  Are you good with kids?  Do you like spending time building relationships & serving?  Come join us for a year.  What about a gap year, taking a year off from school, or right after graduation?  (This is a need now, and ongoing, on a year to year basis.)

Finally, we'll be looking for guys with significant coaching backgrounds to come and increase our coaching staff with the Academy.  This is for guys with some significant playing and/or coaching experience.  Have you ever wanted to serve Jesus through soccer?  Do you want to nurture the next great leaders in Africa?  (This is a need in 2012 and beyond.)
Well, there it is, we have a need, and we're trusting God that you're going to fill it.  Let us know if you're interested or have questions.

Cheers,
Casey

Joshua

Periodically I'm going to be telling you about the players in the Academy.  I'll make it a bit more formal as we go along, but I want you to start getting to know Joshua Jonathan today.  Joshua is a 12-year-old from an area called Overcome Heights.  It's part of Capricorn that is the oldest informal settlement in the Western Cape.  Joshua lives there with his mom, grandmother, 2 aunts, some siblings, and a few cousins.  All in one tiny wooden home.  Joshua attends one of our partner schools, Zirilda Park and is in Grade 7.
Joshua is a little bulldog of a player.  He has a little fire in him.  He's a great tackler, strikes a great long pass, and has good skills; but Joshua HATES his left foot, so we're working on that.
At the end of last Thursday's practice we had a box of pears waiting for us from one of our partners.  The players were VERY excited and loaded up on them.  Joshua particularly filled his bag up.  I was taking him and Juan home that day.  As we drove, I noticed that Joshua was eating a bunch of pears and I asked, "how many have you had, 4?"  He said, "No, 10."  Then he just kept eating!  Juan's family owns a little spaza/tuck shop so we stopped and got a drink.  One of my goals before Easter is to have some quality time with each of the boys and this was my time with Joshua.  We parked near his house and just talked about all the stuff going on in life.  Well, the soda started mixing with the 12 pears he had eaten and his stomach started churning!  He stepped out and relieved himself but that only delayed the pain.  Eventually he said, "Coach, you gotta take me home."  We drove home quickly for him to make it to the bathroom in time!  It was such a funny experience of how a kid's REAL hunger caused him to make himself sick.  Somebody offered him some pears and he couldn't take the chance that he may not get to eat them all.  We laughed about it again at practice on Monday.
Joshua is a neat kid, with lots of personality, I'm so looking forward to getting to know him more!

Cheers, Casey  

First Practice

Ryan with the shot.

Team cooling down with Coach Treswill.

We had a great 1st Practice!  I was really proud of the boys.  They came dressed in their kit, looking like little studs.  They greeted me and Treswill (one of the emphasis of our culture is that they must greet coaches and their family's when they see them).  And they were all on time except for one.  We did a lot of work on the ball so they were busy.  They worked hard, and I think they could even feel themselves improving. It's only the 1st Day but I think they'll be excited for more tomorrow!

The 98s- Josh, Juan, Rory, Tauriq, Carl, and Matt
(Chadley was sick)

The 99s- (Standing) Keano, Luke, Jesse, Alex, Sim
(Kneeling) Jayden, Aviwe, Ryan

Launch Update

Saturday was an amazing day!  The launch of Ubuntu Football Academy went great.  We had a 5-a-side tournament with the 15 boys.  It was a round-robin and actually got quite competitive, which we were hoping for.  It was also just a great opportunity for the boys to start getting to know each other.  You actually can't understand what a big deal it was for all 15 boys to be there.  Communicating with families here, where English isn't always their preferred language, can be a challenge, but it's also just hard to communicate what a big deal and commitment the Academy will be.  But they were all there, even if a few didn't bring their soccer boots!  We have new training kits that they were given, so the teams looked sharp.
After the tournament we had a braai (cookout) with most of the families.  My good friend Nathan came and did all the cooking for me, which was a massive help!  We talked about the culture of the Academy and what is expected.  Each player received two training shirts, a pair of shorts, two pairs of socks, and a bag.  The shirts were new, but all the other stuff came from the items donated from our friends and supporters in Raleigh.  The kids were pretty hyped about all the sweet gear.
Looking back it was such a fantastic beginning to a big dream.  There is so much work in front of us, but if the launch is any indication this is going to be a special experience for everybody.  I'm so thankful and humbled to be a part of it.  I have a lot to learn as a coach, but God will equip me.  We have our first practice today, and it's the first 4 day week of the rest of the YEAR.  Here I go, I'm officially becoming a full on soccer coach!
I wish I could post a bunch of pictures, but I was so excited and distracted on Saturday that I forgot to take them.  Sarah is going to come take some at the first practice today so I'll post some soon.
Thanks,
Casey 

Launch Countdown

It's now 2 days until the launch of Ubuntu Football Academy.  We have invited 15 boys into the program.  7 are U-13, 8 are U-12.  We still are waiting to hear from 2 of them on whether they are going to be involved.  One of those was just invited into the junior teams for one of the local professional teams, Santos, and the other plays a lot of other sports and just has to decide if he's ready to put most of his focus on one.
On Saturday we will get started with a 5-a-side tournament for the boys so they can get to know each other and just enjoy playing against one another.  Then, we'll have a braai (cookout) with all of the families!  It's really important for us to have the families getting to know each other so that we can create a 'family' feel.  The boys are going to be in the program a LONG time, so they need to know and enjoy each other and their respective families.  It also gives us a moment to talk about the standards and expectations for the academy, so that everything is clear.
We have found great boys to be a part of things.  They come from different communities, faiths, and socio-economic backgrounds.  I'm excited to start sharing their lives and stories with you. We'll start doing that very soon.
As we get started you can pray that we will be as ready and organized as possible to create the very best atmosphere. Pray that we'll connect quickly with each boy even where language can be a hindrance. And pray that God will provide the resources to make the big dreams come true!

Cheers,
Casey