Staff Reporter
Windhoek-History is in the offing when about sixty boys under the age of 13 and 15 from the Otjomuise Football Academy travel to South Africa to compete in an international youth tournament in Cape Town later this month.
The academy, made up mainly of boys from Otjomuise residential area and surrounding settlements such as 7de Laan and 8ste Laan, were invited to participate in the highly competitive Avendale youth tourney.
The team mainly caters for underprivileged boys competing in the NFA age group youth leagues for the past three years. As it stands, they are amongst the top 3 teams in the NFA league. The 5-day youth tourney gets underway on August 24.
At the tourney boys will be exposed to scouts from various teams in Cape Town and other would-be interested parties from Western Cape Province.
Teams such as Ajax Cape Town have fostered closer links with their European parent club Ajax Amsterdam, which gives aspiring young footballers in their academies opportunities of a lifetime.
However, the Namibians’ participation in the Avendale tourney will be more than just a football excursion, as a significant chunk of the travelling entourage have never travelled outside the boundaries of Windhoek, let alone beyond Namibian borders.
The trip will also serve as an educational excursion for the majority of the boys, since their parents cannot afford to take them on such holidays.
The team not only creates the platform for the boys to play football in a competitive environment but also provides a broader experience of life skills.
Meanwhile, the team’s head coach, a Polytechnic of Namibia student, uses training sessions to help the boys with schoolwork, assignments or even gives them pep talks around education – hence the opportunity of taking part in the youth tourney means more than just a mere football match.
“This is why the academy has resolved to invite boys in the two age groups from all over the country to join them on the trip. There are still places available for those who want to join them on this historic tour,” said team manager Sackey Elago .
“We just have a few challenges in shortcomings with transporting the boys. So, if there are any good Samaritans out there who can assist us with sponsorship, it will be a much appreciated welcome boost,” said Elago.
Since not all the parents can afford to cover part of the traveling expenses for the boys, Elago invites parents who want to register their children for the trip to contact him. Final registration date is August 15.
Elago can be contacted @081 499 7424 or kahaidula@gmail.com or Otjomuisesport@gmail.com for more information.