The rose among ‘kasi’ sports clubs

A SPORTS club in Mdantsane is proof that not all township sports facilities are bound for failure. Set up to host cricket, rugby and other codes, Winter Rose Sports Club is a hive of activity and has since grown into a multipurpose facility catering for different needs in the community.

The club was established through the collaboration of the Buffalo City Council, Border Cricket Board, United Cricket Board of South Africa, Willows Cricket Club and the Winter Rose Rugby club. The Dispatch reported on the facility’s 2001 sod-turning ceremony. Construction started that year on the sports complex, which included the first ever turf cricket pitch in Mdantsane. Winter Rose Sports Club has gone on to greater things since and now boasts two rugby fields, a cricket pitch and nets, a netball field, a tennis court, a club house and a preschool/day care centre. The centre has also produced some of the brightest future sports stars of the Border region. Club president Simon Mlonyeni said community involvement had helped keep the facility afloat and thriving. “Our recipe for sustainability is a rather new concept, which is that any organisation being established within a township needs to be linked with the community which they are in. It also must be linked with any sports stars coming out of that community, which is why we link to other sport codes and other activities to encourage community participation as much as we can.” Mlonyeni said having a dedicated and passionate committee that runs the club kept it vibrant and viable. He said that young cricket and rugby players from the club who had moved on to sign with Border clubs was testament to the importance of township sports clubs. “A few youngsters have signed with Border rugby and Border cricket teams; so we can see that such platforms are vital for nurturing that talent and honing such players,” he said. “There is nothing stopping a child from going after their dreams if such structures are available to them. “Our rugby club has also been doing well. In 2011 we represented the province at the national championships in Stellenbosch.” Club secretary Ntsiki Mpafi reiterated Mlonyeni’s sentiments and added that communities needed to feel that it was their responsibility to safeguard such facilities. “When there are employment opportunities within that facility, communities must be the first to benefit, that way they will support it. “The moment communities are sidelined, resistance is bound to follow, which hampers the progress of that establishment,” said Mpafi. One of the club’s star players, Viwe Tongo, who plays for the Winter Rose cricket club as well as the Border Cricket academy, said if it was not for the club he might never have discovered cricket, let alone excel at it. “Like any ‘kasi boy’, I grew up playing soccer but then when the club was up and running I used to come here and watch and that is how my love for cricket began. This club uplifted the community as before we never had access to cricket facilities,” said Tongo.