You need to meet Treswill

Treswill (in blue) with Peter, our cook from our recent camp.

This is long overdue!  Back in January, Ubuntu Sports Outreach hired Treswill Overmeyer as our "Community Connector".  Treswill will lead our schools programs, anything else that is community related, and be an assistant coach with the Ubuntu Football Academy.  

Treswill grew up in Ocean View right near our house.  He was one of the few boys that found his way out of the community through soccer, eventually playing in the professional soccer league here, the PSL. Treswill is a unique man, though, and purposely moved back into Ocean View to try and influence young people.  We developed a friendship which eventually led to us asking him to join our team.  He's such an asset for us.  Treswill is the unofficial mayor of Ocean View & the whole South Peninsula!  Everybody knows (and loves) him!!  Whenever we are out he is constantly being greeted by others.  So, he's endeared us to the community even more.  He speak Afrikaans, which is helpful with some families that aren't comfortable speaking English.  And he loves sharing the vision and getting others involved.  He's constantly getting us stuff and sponsorships by just chatting up whomever he comes in contact with.  It's brilliant!

Well, we look forward to a long relationship with Treswill, so you need to get to know him.  I've asked him a few questions below:

What is your Favorite Bible Verse?- Mark 8:34-38

What is your Favorite Worship Song now?- Take Heart by Hillsong

What is the Best Goal you Ever Scored?- For Mother City FC (in PSL) vs Bloemfontein Celtic in the old Green Point Stadium. Was chosen as goal of the week by the league.

Which boy in the Academy you were most like at 12-13 years old?- Juan Cloete because I didn't get involved with stuff unless enticed, which is just like Juan. He's a rascal!

How did you oame to trust Christ as Lord?- I was messed-up! I had been let down by my club at the time, Jomo Cosmos, and had to have surgery which cost me lots of money. During the time at Cosmos I was exposed to witchcraft. My only way out, I believed at the time, was to have Jesus save me from the mess I was in. A guy named Mike Alford, a missionary from the USA for Athletes in Action, was the guy that told me about the love of Jesus.

What gives you the desire to work with Ubuntu Sports Outreach?- Getting to work with 2 good looking white guys! :) I enjoy working with kids, and more importantly I get to use soccer as a tool to share the love of God.

What are you most excited about with your particular role as the Community Connector?- Having worked in schools before, and being passionate about seeing communities restored, I'm excited that I can connect communities to see families healed.

What is your Previous Ministry Experience?- I have worked with Ambassadors in Sport, holiday clubs and camps with Scripture Union, missions into Africa with AIS, and prison ministry at Pollsmoor Prison for 3 years.

What is your Previous Playing Experience?- I grew up playing locally in Ocean View & then FHAFC. Moved on at 17 years old to play professionally with Hellenic (in Cape Town). Moved from there to FC Fortune. Then played for Mother City FC & Jomo Cosmos in the PSL. Last professional club was City Pillars in Johannesburg. After 3 years of no serious football, now leading the team at Fish Hoek AFC!!

In Afrikaans, say something funny about Casey- ''Die American wietie wanner die laaities vir hom vir n apie vattie...hahahaha!!!!'' (This American doesn't know when the boys are making a monkey out of him....hahahaha!!!!)

What is your Current Relationship Status?- Dating Cindy James, who is awesome!

In your opinion, will Mike ever get married, and if so, how old will he be?- Mike will be married before he turns 34 (which will be in about a year and a half).

Last Friendly

We played our final friendly this weekend before the league season starts.  It was the 2nd time we have played Wynberg St. Johns, which is actually playing this year in the league above us.  We beat them 5-0 last time, but their coach was more confident this time around and even communicated that to Mike.
Well, unfortunately for him we played some of our best soccer this whole preseason!  We shared the ball nicely, created some nice goals, and only gave up a few goal scoring opportunities.  We only beat them 4-0 this time (so the coach did make progress), but we played very well.
The way we played has gotten me very excited about this week's practices.  It really showed me that the boys are learning, even when I don't know it's true.
Next weekend it all begins!  I'm pumped!!

Casey

Few pics from Ajax Match

Here are a few pics from the Ajax match from a local website.  Check it out: http://www.sasportsonline.co.za/?p=3287

Casey

Our First Championship

What a weekend!  Our first tournament as the Ubuntu Football Academy/Fish Hoek squad and we took home the Plate Championship of the Strandfontein U-13 Tournament.  It really couldn't have gone much better!  

We started the weekend on Friday night at camp where we hung out, had some amazing lasagna prepared by Peter (pic below), and then watched "Goal" to get us inspired.  Even though they complained when told we would wake them at 7am, they all woke up at 6am!  They seemed to be excited about the games ahead.  After a great and healthy breakfast we headed to the fields.  

A few pregame thoughts.

Our first game was against Ajax Cape Town.  They are the most professional setup in town.  They have fancy tracksuits and outfits, and they play with discipline.  Our boys were quite intimidated by all of the externals and we started the game poorly.  They jumped on us and took an early lead which ballooned to 3-0 at halftime.  We really started playing in the 2nd half and got 2 goals, but Ajax is a good team and they quickly squelched our comeback with a 4th goal.  The game finished 4-2.  The thing I'm learning as a coach is how to convince these boys that they don't need to fear the perceived "big boys."  

We played better in our 2nd match and picked up a 3-1 victory over Ken Park which meant we finished 2nd in our group of 3 and would be placed in the Plate Knockout Tournament on Sunday.  (Ken Park went on to win the Shield Knockout for teams that finished 3rd in their group.  Ajax was upset in the semifinals of the Championship Knockout.)

We left the field and headed back to camp and then to the nearest beach.  The boys had a good time with each other there.  Coach Mike tried to challenge the boys to a belly flop contest, but he had to demonstrate first.  Not to many followed after him!

Look at that form!

 The water is freezing, but they don't care!

Back at camp we played some cricket, had another great meal, and then had a group time.  We had a really good chat about growing into the type of time that doesn't fear anyone.  Then we looked at Philippians 4:10-20 and compared it to them writing a letter to the coaches that are providing for them and then believing that they can truly do "all things through Christ who strengthens them."  The boys were pooped from the day, so it was easy to get them to sleep.  

I'm quickly learning that I hate that 12 year old goalies aren't tall enough to cover the top of the goal!  After giving up a few goals on Saturday to high, hopeful shots, we started the quarterfinal giving up a 'hail mary' goal.  We were clearly better than the other team but remained down until about 10 minutes left when we finally scored the equalizer.  With about 1 minute left we found the winner.  It was such an exciting comeback and I was proud of the boys' character.  The semifinal actually ended up being our most comfortable victory, not coincidentally it was the best game we played.  We scored some nice goals on our way to a 3-0 victory and really should have scored a 1/2 dozen more.  

So, as we prepared for the final, I expected us to come out with lots of energy, but we were quite lethargic.  About 10 minutes into the game we gave up a weak goal and couldn't find the net on our own end, though we were creating more chances.  Things improved in the 2nd half and we eventually found the tying goal.  With about 10 minutes left we scored the winner on our prettiest goal of the tournament.  It got moved from one side of the field to the other, shot off the bar, recovered and passed to an open player, and then eventually finished!  I was so excited that our last goal was our best!  After 8 weeks together as a group we are the Champions of the Plate Knockout of a very competitive tournament!

This weekend was a success on SO MANY LEVELS!  We got to spend a lot of time together and the boys did a great job mixing and bonding with each other.  We got to play the maximum number of games, 5, which really helps our development.  Almost all of our families were there for at least one game.  All 17 players that we took played at some point, and everybody made an important contribution.  And the coaches had a great time continuing to deposit truth into the lives' of these players.  I'm so excited about the character the boys showed in overcoming deficits, injuries, and fatigue.  I know we have a bright future on the field!

Celebrating their 1st Championship together.

But there is one other thing that I am even more proud of.  On Thursday we talked to the boys about making it our goal to win the "Team Fair Play" award.  We wanted to be known as a team that acts the right way, treats people and the game with respect, and honors God.  Well, during the awards ceremony Fish Hoek was given the Team Fair Play award!  It's nice to have a team that plays well together, but it's even better to know that you're also doing things the right way, and even better when others notice. 

Receiving the Team Fair Play award.

Afterwards we got so many requests from the organizing club to return to the tournament next year.  We will definitely do that!  It was a great opportunity for our boys to play in a well-organized, highly competitive tournament.  Thanks to Strandfontein Football Club for hosting a great event!  And thanks to all of you that were praying for us over the weekend!

What is going to happen next?!?!  I know I'm excited to see what God has in store.

Peter, our legendary cook, with the trophies!

A HUGE weekend coming up!

This week is massive for the Ubuntu Football Academy.  After about 8 weeks of training together we are going to be playing in a very competitive U13 tournament.  We have been winning all of our friendlies handily the last couple of weeks.  This tournament is going to be a huge opportunity for us to play against MUCH better competition.  It also will allow us to play as many as 5 matches in 2 days.
The tournament consists of 24 teams that represent the best clubs in Cape Town and the surrounding area.  All of the established academies in the area will have teams there.  The "best" part is that our first game is against Ajax Cape Town, the junior squad of the most successful professional team in the city.  Right now the senior team is in 1st Place of the PSL, our professional league.  Basically it would be like your new AAU basketball team playing against the Chicago Bulls' U13 team.  Or your football team playing against the junior team of the New England Patriots.  But it's a great opportunity for us to measure ourselves against other good teams/players.  And, WHEN we beat them it will create quite a stir!  :)
We play two group games on Saturday, the one against Ajax CT and another club called Ken Park.  From those results you are placed into a knockout group of 8 for the Sunday games.  So, Sunday could be 1 game or 3.  We're planning on 3!
We really wanted this weekend to be special so we're taking the boys away on a retreat for the weekend.  We'll be staying at a camp nearby called Gordon's.  It would be like using a camp setting like Sea Gull to host your team for the weekend.  The boys are really excited about the time together and the tournament.
Please join us in praying for the weekend.  Pray that the boys will bond well and that deep chemistry will start to grow.  Pray that we would stay safe and avoid injuries.  And pray that our influence, mentoring, and discipleship would also take a big jump forward with all this time together.

Excited,
Casey

I Never Imagined

I could have never dreamed or imagined the things that we would come up against as we have started this Academy.  These kids bring the most surprising struggles to the table.
For the last couple of weeks we've been struggling with one of the boys, Rory.  He just doesn't want to train as much as we require.  The problem is really that he wants to hang out with his little girlfriend.  Really?  At 12 years old you want to waste time with girls!?!?  I had to think back to when I was 12, and remembered that I also had "girlfriends" but in suburban America that's all a big joke.  You see each other at school and you're lucky if your Mom will take you to the movies together on Friday night.  But in the communities that the boys are coming from they can walk to each other's houses, so it's actually quite a temptation.  And because sexuality is such a perverse thing here it's possible that they are already considering having sex.  Rory missed all 3 practices last week (he was lucky we already were giving them 1 day off or he would have missed all 4) and has missed 6 of 11.  We had a heart to heart with him during school on Thursday and he STILL didn't come to training that night.  On Saturday Mike & I tried pursuing him and not letting him waste this opportunity.  We scheduled to take him to lunch, but then he wasn't at home.  We tracked him to Fish Hoek at which point we walked the streets and the beach looking for him.  I NEVER imagined that this is what I'd be doing!  We never found him, but did eventually chat to his mom for a few minutes.  Finally on Monday we wrangled him into a lunch meeting and got him to commit to the next 2 weeks (leading up to a big tournament we are playing in) before he gives up.  Hopefully he'll get sucked in by that.
We've also been dealing with Josh, who I wrote about a few posts back.  Josh comes from such a rough background and he's quite rough around the edges.  That bit of anger actually helps make him a great player, but it often gets misplaced.  On Sunday we had a friendly and he arrived grumpy, everything was frustrating him.  Towards the end of the game he made a bad play which led to him passing the ball out of bounds, he then shouted at the player he was trying to pass to, attempting to shift the blame.  That kid shouted back and Josh continued shouting. (Mind you, all of this is happening in Afrikaans, so I have no idea what they're saying, I just know it's not nice!)  Because Josh wouldn't stop I pulled him off the field.  He has this problem from time to time and we're trying to slowly work it out of him.  Being positive is one of the main values of our culture and we talk about how we never scream negative things at each other.  Well, me pulling him off just sent him over the edge.  He wouldn't calm down and couldn't talk with me.  The game ended about that time so everybody started changing.  We were planning to take the team to the beach for a little team bonding, but when we prepared to leave we realized Josh had left on his own.  His house is at least 10 miles away, so I'm not sure what his plan was, but he just doesn't have the skills to deal with his anger.  Eventually, Mike caught up with him, convinced him to get in the car, and the longer the time went on the beach the more he softened.
Again, I never imagined dealing with this stuff.  How do you handle this?  You can't deal with these situations the same way you would in the States.  The environments, cultures, and experiences are so different.  I don't know what kind of trauma Josh has experienced that has caused him to respond in these ways.  The reality is that we WILL NOT give up on these boys easily.  Most people in their lives give up on them when they mess up like this, but that doesn't feel like the picture Jesus drew for us with his life.  He constantly pursues us, even when we hash things up, so we'll keep chasing these kids until they decide they truly don't want it anymore.  But please pray for us!  We need grace, wisdom, patience, and discernment!

Casey

Updates

I'm late reporting on last week's friendly.  These friendly matches are us now playing as a Fish Hoek AFC club.

Last weekend we played Wynberg St. John's and defeated them 5-0.  The B Side (2nd team, which includes some Academy kids) won 9-1!  So that was a great start.  We heard that our opponent is in the league above us, Super League, while we are in Premier League.  One of our goals for the year is to get promoted to Super League.  We started a bit slow, but got going eventually and scored a few really nice, attractive goals.  And you always love shutting out the other team.
Tomorrow morning we play a friendly against Meadow Ridge.  They are in our same league and probably the closest to us geographically.  I'm looking forward to us playing again and learning more about our team.  I'll give you the update this time much quicker.

Thanks,
Casey