2013-12-20Staff Report 2 … Abrille Beukes has the world at her feet WINDHOEK - The Namibia Football Association (NFA) always emphasizes that football and education should go hand in hand and Abrille Beukes from St George’s College epitomises this call after she shot to stardom this week with her exceptional academic achievement as the best female Grade 12 higher level student in Namibia. Abrille got hooked to football at the fairly young age of 13 when she linked up with the JS Academy in 2008 and a year later, she was part of the NFA/SCORE team at the Norway Cup tournament in Norway. She has several caps with the Baby Gladiators and Young Gladiators and her best performance was when she scored a goal against South Africa in the 2012 FIFA U17 Women World Cup qualifiers. “I’m indebted to football because through the Galz and Goals project, we learned a lot during the life skill sessions and coach Jacqui Shipanga has instilled a lot of an education mentality in me as she always emphasized how important education is for girls. In addititon, our Westphalia (Germany) godparents that were we paired with came in handy. I was very fortunate to have someone offering to assist me financially and I can only repay that with good marks. I thank God for all the wisdom,” stated the right-footed winger. Beukes, a footballer with incredible speed and shooting ability, receives a monthly allowance from her godparents in Germany, together with 26 other girls. “Juggling education and sports is not easy but it shapes you because of the limited time you have and it also allows you to escape from all the stress and then you go back with much more determination to work even harder. However, it has to be a sport you love,” advised Beukes who is also the Junior National High Jump Champion in athletics . Next year, Beukes will be reading towards Medicine in Bloemfontein and says she will still continue to play her favourite sport. “I love football and athletics and will continue if time permits, but overall my priority will be more on studies.” National team coach Shipanga described Abrille as one of the most disciplined, hardworking and intelligent players she ever worked with: “Not just at national level but also at club level she was a volunteer kit manager for the JS Academy Football Club and very exemplary. We are all very proud of her achievements because she is a true ambassador and testimony of our philosophy of balancing football and education. “Abrille has gone a step further after two other Young Gladiators scored above 40 points last year – Lena Noreses and Carmel Don. We are busy breeding a new set of footballers for our country, the ones that realize the importance of education whilst still pursuing sporting excellence,” emphasised Shipanga, adding: “My wish is for government through the Sports Commission and the private sector to set up scholarships for talented athletes like Abrille to further their tertiary education and also invest more in sports-related scholarships that should be extended to various sports codes not just the selected few.” By Staff Reporter 2013-12-20Staff Report 2
