Launch of Ubuntu Football Forward

Last week we launched an exciting new program, Ubuntu Football Forward, which is going to be a prequel to the Football Academy.  Research shows that players touch the ball 6 times more in a game of 5 vs 5 than a full sided game.  Obviously, touching the ball more is a great help in accelerating a player's development in the game.  Football Forward is addressing that need while also creating an environment for mentorship and character building.
On Mondays & Wednesdays (and hopefully a 3rd day per week soon) kids come to the Ocean View Multipurpose Center for a 75 minute session that includes 15 minutes of a skill lesson, a 5 minute life skill devotional, and then 45-50 minutes of 5-a-side football matches.  The kids come at different times based on their age group, which keeps them playing against the right aged kids and keeps the group size manageable.  The U8s come right after school at 1:30, the U10s at 2:45, and the U12s at 4:00.

Austin reminding the kids what time to be there.

We launched the program last week by doing separate launch clinics at each of the primary schools on Thursday and Friday.  The treat of the whole launch was having friends from Elon University in North Carolina there to help.  They are on a Winter Term travel course and spent 2 days serving with us.  This is the 3rd year we have had Elon students with us.  They are service minded and globally focused, so they are a great help to us.  They are inquisitive and thoughtful, so they are a pleasure to have around.  Hopefully they are also inspired by what they see happening with Ubuntu Football.  I know they enjoy it, because we were supposed to have 6 students with us, they showed up the 1st morning with 11, and then returned the 2nd day with 17!!  It's cool, we like having new friends.

The 1st Day's crew: Brett, Nick, Ashton, Taylor, Jenny Steph,
Emily, Jay, Taylor, Dave, & Drew with Sean & Austin

The launch at Kleinberg, on Thursday, was very successful with 80 kids participating.  We didn't expect that kind of involvement the 1st day so we were really encouraged.  Friday's launch for Marine was smaller, around 30 kids, but that was to be expected.  Mosque happens on Friday afternoons just after lunch, so the schools dismiss early, so that makes the day a little more distracted.  We've always struggled with Friday events, so I was pleased with the response.

Steph, one of our Elon friends, working with 2 of the boys  

It was a great launch to what is going to become an important part of our development program.  In Daniel Coyle's "The Talent Code" he talks about 'hotbeds of talent'- places that you wouldn't expect that are producing large numbers of exceptionally talented people in specific fields.  We believe that the Southern Peninsula Valley of Cape Town can become a hotbed of football talent.  There has always been natural talent in these communities, but it isn't always effectively developed.  Ubuntu Football Forward will give kids the best chance to develop their skills in a lightly coached, lightly competitive, and highly relational environment.  They won't be overly concerned with results, but with exploring, taking risks, and having fun.  That's what is going to produce great young players.  Then, as they turn 13 they will be well prepared to have an impact on their local clubs, and a few of them will go on to become the next players in the Ubuntu Football Academy.  Either way, we know they will be better players, and MUCH BETTER people than they would have been otherwise.

Future stars in the making

We need more people to help this grow!  As our pilot program goes well here in Ocean View, we want to expand to Masiphumelele, Fish Hoek, and beyond.  Come join with us!

Casey