The Trust in Cape Town
What have we done to date and what have we achieved to date?
Following CACT’s successful delivery in the Alexandra township, the then British High Commissioner to South Africa Paul Boateng requested an expansion of the programme to include Cape Town. CACT took the framework to two townships but this quickly became an even more challenging prospect than Alexandra.
Again, using the power of football, the objective was to bring the two townships of Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain together and to create a harmony between them. In March 2007, the programme started to coach 2,000 children across 16 schools, educating them on citizenship and the dangers of gun and knife crime. Again, there was considerable focus on training coaches to ensure that a legacy was left and the ability to continue the delivery of the programme was of a high-enough standard to continue without a CACT presence.
24 candidates received the FA Level One coaching certificate. 10 of these were police officers. The programme was delivered by senior CACT staff but also included leading figures from the football club including the then chairman Martin Simons, the former chief executive Peter Varney and ex-goalkeeper Bob Bolder. It was this kind of commitment that helped ensure high levels of success.
The project in Cape Town ran for three years. The results of this included:
Ajax Cape Town is delivering healthy eating programmes in schools, opening up their training facilities to allow township children to learn alongside players and role models. Ajax has the desire to be the biggest community club in the country and at present chairman John Comitis is exploring the opportunity of building a new stadium which he intends to construct in the heart of the township. This will mean Ajax Cape Town will be an outward facing club allowing the community to use the facilities within the ground.
Following CACT’s successful delivery in the Alexandra township, the then British High Commissioner to South Africa Paul Boateng requested an expansion of the programme to include Cape Town. CACT took the framework to two townships but this quickly became an even more challenging prospect than Alexandra.
Again, using the power of football, the objective was to bring the two townships of Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain together and to create a harmony between them. In March 2007, the programme started to coach 2,000 children across 16 schools, educating them on citizenship and the dangers of gun and knife crime. Again, there was considerable focus on training coaches to ensure that a legacy was left and the ability to continue the delivery of the programme was of a high-enough standard to continue without a CACT presence.
24 candidates received the FA Level One coaching certificate. 10 of these were police officers. The programme was delivered by senior CACT staff but also included leading figures from the football club including the then chairman Martin Simons, the former chief executive Peter Varney and ex-goalkeeper Bob Bolder. It was this kind of commitment that helped ensure high levels of success.The project in Cape Town ran for three years. The results of this included:
- Development of schools officers in both sites
- Leadership of the Mitchells Plain Stn Director saw schools officers reinvigorate sports in schools and develop a drill-orientated cadet programme within the school curriculum
- Improvements in police, education and young people relations bringing discipline to unruly schools
- Ajax Cape Town FC (twinned with Charlton Athletic FC) employed four community coaches and have pioneered CACT’s safety work in South Africa
- Ajax Cape Town FC secured a large sponsorship deal for the club on the back of the scheme and the work in the community
- Involved 1,500 people per week in Cape Town during the project
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